Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos

ANNO DOMINI MCCCXXXV

NICEPHORUS CALLISTUS XANTHOPULUS

NOTITIA EX FABRICIO

Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopulus, son of Callistides or rather of Callistus Xanthopulus, presented his History to the emperor Andronicus Palæologus when he was already advanced in years ^A (a), who died in the year of Christ 1327, being more than seventy years old; he himself testifies that he began to write it in his youth, and finished it before he had passed his 36th year (b), and that he was assisted by the library of the Holy Sophia at Constantinople (c), in which he spent the prime of his life. He mentions the emperor Michael Palæologus and his grandson Andronicus in the catalogue of the emperors of Constantinople (d):

Bright is Michael Palæologus the third, Truly a king in words and in deeds. Andronicus is a child, a concourse of graces.

That he reached the times of the emperor John Cantacuzenus, and thus lived on until about the middle of the 14th century, you may learn from the Catalogue of Patriarchs, concerning which see below. There exist eighteen books of the Ecclesiastical History (and Nicephorus the author himself attests on page 38 that he wrote no more books) from the birth of Christ to the death of Phocas, that is, to the year of Christ 610, compiled from Eusebius, Sozomen, Socrates, Theodoret, Philostorgius, Theodore the Reader, Basil the Cilician, Evagrius (whom he praises by name on page 35), and others. Therefore, the arguments of the 19th and subsequent books up to the 23rd, which follow the arguments of the 18 books on page 42, and which concern a continuation of the History up to the death of Leo the Philosopher, i.e., in the year of Christ 911, were added by another author, not by Nicephorus himself, and the continuation no longer exists; these were relegated by the Latin translator Jo. Langus to the end of the work. Furthermore, just as this Nicephorus is called the ecclesiastical Thucydides for the elegance of his style by the most illustrious Schurzfleisch, so I see him called the Pliny of the Theologians by B. Joannes Gerhardus on account of the fables (e) which he mixes in, on page 258 of his *Methodi studii theol.* Yet, Labbeus rightly notes in his *De S. E.*, vol. II, p. 102, that purple is sometimes woven into his rags from the works of good authors who have perished.

Those 18 books, the initial letters of whose names form the name of Nicephorus Callistus, appeared in the Latin version of Joannes Langus of Erfurt, Basel, 1553, fol., and in another revision of his, ibid., 1581, fol., with his scholia; then at Antwerp, 1530; Paris, 1562, 1573; Frankfurt, 1588, fol.; Paris, 1566, 8vo; in two volumes: but also in French translated by Jo. Gillot, Paris, 1567, fol.; and finally in Greek and Latin at Paris, 1630, two volumes, with the version of Langus, revised by Fronto Ducæus, as the title states; but Combefisius, in his *Bibliotheca Concionatoria*, says: "I would have wished for greater diligence from Ducæus in checking the version of Langus and correcting the notes which are scattered throughout, unless perhaps the printers were more generous with him and wished to increase the price of the book by prefixing his name." The Greek text was transcribed by Ducæus from the manuscript which Langus once used, and which is believed to be the only one surviving today; it was once plundered from the library of Matthias Corvinus of Buda by the Turks, but was redeemed at Constantinople by a Christian, and came into the Imperial Library (f) at Vienna, where it is preserved to this day. ^{B C D}

^A The Greco-Latin edition was dedicated to Cardinal Richelieu, since Ducæus had promised that he would present it to the Emperor (as Langus had to offer his own translation), from whose library he had received the Greek codex. See Lambecius, lib. 1, p. 158.

Other writings of this Nicephorus are:

A Treatise on the temple and miracles of the Holy Mary at the Spring, one stadium from Constantinople

^B A catalogue of the Emperors of Constantinople, in iambic verse, in Greek from a double royal codex, in Labbe’s *Protrepticus historiæ Byzantinæ*, p. 34. In the codex which Jo. Langus studied, and just as it was published in Greek at Basel in 1536, 8vo, at the end of the *Sacred Epigrams* of Theodore Prodromus, just as in the other royal copy, this catalogue ends with Andronicus the Younger. A more recent hand, as is often the case, added the rest down to Constantine Palæologus. (Fabr.) In the Medicean Library at Florence, codex 16, no. 20, shelf 87, holds an iambic poem about the Emperors of the East from Constantine I to Constantine XV, with the author’s name not added, but Bandini, in his *Catalogue of Greek Codices*, p. 400, moved by the authority of Langus, attributes it to Nicephorus. — In the Venetian codex Marc. 375, written in the year 1426, is the *Catalogue of the Emperors of Constantinople* by Nicephorus Xanthopulus (Cat. codd. Gr. p. 304). In the Barocci codex of the Bodleian Library, no. 59, is the *Chronology of Emperors from Constantine the Great to Andronicus III* in verse. In the public library at Paris, in codex 535, n. 34, is Nicephorus Callistus’s *Catalogue of the Emperors and Patriarchs of Constantinople*. In codex 1630, n. 1, is the *Catalogue of the Patriarchs of Constantinople*, ending with Athanasius in the year of Christ 1302. No. 11 is the *Catalogue of the Emperors of Constantinople* in iambic verse; it is exactly the same as the one published among the works of Theodore Prodromus. — In codex 1790, n. 2, is Nicephorus’s *Catalogue of the Offices of the Constantinopolitan Court*, in political verse. A poem on the emperors is presented in volume I of the *Historia Byzantina*, p. 17, Venice, 1729. Nicephorus Xanthopulus’s *Fall of Jerusalem* in iambic verse 158, with a Latin iambic paraphrase by Fed. Morel, in Morel’s *Exposition of the Lord’s Themata and the memorials which are at Jerusalem*, Paris, 1620, 8vo. See below, book v, chap. 717, vol. VII, old edition. (Harl.)

^C A catalogue of the Patriarchs of Constantinople, in iambic verse in Greek, in that same *Protrepticus* of Labbe, p. 35 ff., and at the end of the *Epigrams* of Theodore Prodromus. It ends at 141 with Callistus, whom Emperor John Cantacuzenus appointed patriarch, as the Emperor himself narrates in *Hist.* IV, 17. There follows in Labbe another catalogue by an unknown author, not written in verse, but listing only the 149 names of the patriarchs, down to Joseph, who died at the general Council of Florence not long before the city was captured by the Turks (h).

^D (g) Lambecius lists in greater detail in his *Commentarii*, vol. VIII, p. 119 ff. In that codex are preserved: 1. Nicephorus Callistus’s *Acoluthia*, or Office for the feast of the dedication of the temple of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, surnamed "of the Spring" or "at the Spring." There also exists in the same place Nicephorus’s *Canon*: inserted is his *Synaxarium*, or succinct narration of the origin, growth, and miracles of this temple, which narration Lambecius exhibited entire in Greek from that codex, and on p. 123 notes that this *Synaxarium* does not exist among the other synaxaries of this same Nicephorus which are inserted into the ecclesiastical book of the Greeks called the *Triodion*, nor does it appear in the *Triodion* or in the *Synaxaries* for the principal feasts of the *Triodion*, in which the origin of each feast day is indicated, in the Vienna codex 322 (concerning which see Lambecius’s *Commentarii*, vol. V, p. 596). Furthermore, it is different from the narration of the same temple which Nicephorus inserted into his *Hist. Eccl.*, book xv, ch. 25 and 26; nevertheless, it seems to Lambecius that it was published in the *Pentecostarion* of the Greeks, Venice, by Jac. Leoncinus, 1579, 4to. This he deduces from a passage cited by Leo Allatius in his *Second Dissertation on the Ecclesiastical Books of the Greeks*, p. 230; and he makes other learned observations. 2. Nicephorus’s book *On the origin, structure, and miracles of the aforementioned temple of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God at the Spring*, about which Lambecius speaks at length (who wrote that he had shared a copy of the *Syntagma* on the temple and the miracles of Saint Mary, etc., so that it might be published with Renioldus Dehnius, S. J.). And Kollar, in note A, p. 131, warns against Gretser, stating that the codex is still safe and intact, but that the republic of letters could easily do without its publication, since Nicephorus himself had partly inserted those things which might shed some light on Constantinopolitan history into his own *Ecclesiastical History*, and partly because they had already become apparent from Procopius of Cæsarea’s work *On the Edifices of Justinian*, from which Callistus drew his material, and because the remaining sixty-four miracles are unknown and fabulous. Concerning that same spring and the church at the spring, see, besides Lambecius, *loc. cit.*, the anonymous writer in *Antiquitates Constantinopolitanæ*, book I, sect. 159, part III, vol. I of the *Imperium Orientale*, published by Banduri, p. 56, Paris ed., or p. 49 ff., Venice ed.; and Banduri’s notes on this passage in vol. II, p. 534, Venice ed., p. 159, Paris ed. — See *Elogia Sanctorum*, etc., in vol. IX, B. Gr., p. 118. In the public library of Paris, there are *Synaxaria* in three codices, concerning which later. (Harl.)

(h) An iambic poem on the Patriarchs of Constantinople is in the Medicean codex, Florence 16, n. 21, shelf 87. See Bandini, *loc. cit.*, p. 400. Nicephorus Callistus’s *Chronology of the Patriarchs of Constantinople* (CXIV), the last of whom is Athanasius, is in Barocci codex 59, Bodleian library, and in codex 288; but this catalogue (as the author of the English codices says, p. 18), as it exists in Scaliger in his *Eusebius*, ends with Photius. Truly, this codex shows after Photius about 42 bishops up to

^A the times of John Ducas, who began to reign in the year of Christ 1221. In the same catalogue, p. 270, n. 11, 3, among Langbaine’s Adversaria, is recorded Nicephorus Callistus’ *Notitia of the Patriarchs of Constantinople* from St. Andrew to Methodius, p. 11. Added on the opposite page, from two other manuscripts, is whatever variation Langbaine might have discovered of readings or matters; and p. 271, n. 20, 2, among the same Langbaine’s Adversaria, is a certain fragment of Nicephorus Callistus. Concerning the Paris codices, see what was noted above. Nicephorus Callistus’ new narrative, written more fully in prose concerning the bishops of Byzantium and the patriarchs of Constantinople, Banduri, in *Imperium Orientale*, vol. I, p. 164 sqq. (Venetian edition), p. 164 sq. (Paris edition), he published in Greek with his own Latin version from the codex of the Royal Library, n. 5502. This catalogue ends with John the monk and presbyter, in the year of Christ 1292; and he added others to the *Catalogus patriarcharum CPolitanorum*. Compare Banduri, Preface, p. xvi, to vol. I, and the learned and long commentary, p. [...] sqq. (Venetian edition), where on page 614 he expounded the codex itself and its contents more fully. Our Fabricius, in his *Three Books on the Life and Death of Moses by Philo*, Greek and Latin, with Gilbert Gaulmin of Moulins’ *Observations* (Hamburg, 1714, 8vo), added in the third place, p. [...] sqq. (according to the second Basil edition), a memorandum from a Greek manuscript codex of Nicephorus Callistus of Constantinople’s *Menologium breve ecclesiasticum*. Cf. *Historia critica reipublicæ litterariæ*, vol. VII, art. XI, on new books, p. 418; and Oudin, *loc. cit.*, p. 711. (Harles)

(i) For Bellermann, V. Maittaire, A. T. II, p. 857, where Nicephorus Callistus’ *Opuscula* are cited, and *Epigrammata* with Erasmus’ *Epistles*. Oudin, *loc. cit.*, reviews that edition more fully. (Harles)

(k) Note that in these are contained all those things which Possevinus, in his *Apparatus*, mentions as Nicephorus’ writings *not seen by him* (as if they were not seen), from Guil. Eisengrinius’ *Catalogus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum*; and Vossius, *De Hist. Græcis*, p. 308. Note also that Nicephorus Xanthopulus is wrongly distinguished from Callistus in the *Index* to Meursius’ *Glossarium Græcobarbarum*. Note thirdly, in J. Gotfried Olearius’ *Bibliotheca scriptorum ecclesiasticorum* (Jena, 1711, 4to, vol. II, p. 8), Nicephorus’ *catalogo metrico* (metrical catalogue) is ridiculously printed as *catalogo meretricum* (catalogue of harlots) of the emperors of Constantinople.

At the end of the epigrams of Theodore Prodromus, printed in Greek at Basel in 1536 (i), besides the two previously mentioned catalogues of the emperors and patriarchs of Constantinople, there occur (k) those of the same Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopulus described in iambic verses, or the

Catalog of the Holy Fathers of the Church

A short catalogue of the hymnographers of the Greek Church, which I have also exhibited in full in the *Catalogus Melodorum Græcorum*, at the end of Allatius’ *De libris ecclesiasticis Græcorum*.

A synoptic summary of the saints of the year, or *Menologium sanctorum breve* in verses (just as those I have already mentioned), in iambics (n).

Synopsis of all Holy Scripture (l)

They who wove the members of divine hymns, A synoptic summary of the saints of the year of Nicephorus— A synopsis of all Scripture, accurately done (η). ^{B C}

^A The entire volume closes with a prayer of confession, in prose, not in verse.

Manuscripts of this Nicephorus are still found in libraries, containing various hymns, such as the salutation to the Blessed Virgin. It begins: *Rejoice, higher than the heavens*. See Fabricius. It exists in codex 299, no. 6, regarding which Lambeck wrote more in *Commentaria*, vol. V, page 563. In codex 343, no. 11, of the Paris public library, there are iambic verses by Xanthopulus on the twelve Feasts of the Lord. (Harl.)

Two troparia, on the same subject, in alphabetical order: one begins, "O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, delivered from all human aid." Another, "O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, glorified above every nature of mortals." (Fabr.) — In the imperial Viennese codex 299, no. 6, two troparia on the Virgin Mary, according to Lambeck, *Comm.* vol. V, page 563. (Harl.)

^B Synaxaria for the principal feasts of the Triodion, in which the origin, quality, and method of arrangement of each of them is indicated. Combefis indeed, in his *Bibliotheca Concionatoria*, judged that Nicephorus handled the Greek Triodion very badly, while he stuffed it with his own additions to the Synaxaria, and with the errors of his own and later Greece. Leo Allatius complains about this matter in several places; see him if you wish in his *Dissertatio de libris ecclesiasticis Græcorum*, pages 70, 92 sqq., 113, 229; and against Hottinger, page 124; and regarding the Photian synod, pages 326 sqq., 527 sqq. (o). These Synaxaria of Nicephorus were translated into the vulgar Greek tongue by Matthew Cigula of Cyprus and Maximus Margunius, bishop of Cythera, and were published at Venice by Antonio Pinelli in the years 1607, 1637, 1648, 4to. The title is: *Synaxaria, that is, lives of the saints, translated from the Greek tongue by Maximus, the humble bishop of Cythera, for common benefit*.

A sermon in praise of Mary Magdalene, from Medicean codex 33, no. 18, plut. 9, edited by Bandini in *Catalogus codicum Græcorum* I, pages 446–455, and in *Monumenta Græcæ Ecclesiæ veteris*, Florence 1762, 8vo, vol. III, no. 5. Besides these, they are found in the Paris public library and others.

Commentaries on the Psalms, in Paris codex 149, and in a certain codex of the Escorial library.

An oration on the Feast of Orthodoxy in Paris codex 1090, no. 1, and no. 2 in the same codex.

A homily on the Nativity of Christ. In the index of the *Catalogus Codicum Parisiorum*, vol. II, it is attributed to Nicephorus Callistus.

A homily in praise of John the Faster, according to the *Index Catalogus*, in Paris codex 767, no. 20, but it is indicated in volume II of the *Catalogus*, page 143, under the name of Callistus, Patriarch of Constantinople.

Xanthopulus's epistle to the Orphanotrophos in Paris codex 2105, no. 31.

^C Rhetorical Exercises (*Progymnasmata*) in Paris codex 2988, no. 1, or rather certain parts of them; for on page 586 of the *Catalogus*, this is the description: "A fable by Nicephorus Callistus, and one narrative; also Chreiai, all of which are, as it were, certain rhetorical exercises: it begins, *He said once to himself*." But Montfaucon in *Palæographia Græca*, book I, chapter 7, in the *Notæ* on 14th-century Greek mss., page 70, refers to the year 1344, noting that at about this time the royal codex 3271 was transcribed by a certain Stephen, who copied Nicephorus Callistus's *Rhetorica* and several other minor works. See Oudin, *loc. cit.*, page 718, and above in volume VI, page 134.

Several fragments in Paris codex 950, nos. 14–18; [they treat] of Paul of Samosata, of the miracles performed by Euphemia, Glyceria, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the various names of the Holy Cross.

The Life of Saint Andrew the Apostle and first bishop of Constantinople, [is] at Leiden in the Vossian codex 4, no. 5, but according to Montfaucon in *Palæographia Græca*, book IV, chapter 9, page 323, it is said to be in the Greek Royal codex 2458, written in the year of Christ 1286, [titled] *The Life of Saint Andrew the Younger by Nicephorus Callistus, presbyter of the Great Church*.

Homilies of Nicephorus Callistus, Chrysostom, and others in Colbertine codex 5108, written by the hand of the monk Paphnutius, Thyepolii, June 20, 1568, according to Montfaucon, *loc. cit.*, page 91.

Scholia or Glosses on the orations of Gregory Nazianzen, in Venetian codices Marc. 76 and 77. See *Catalogus codicum Græcorum*, pages 53 and 54, and Possevin at the end of *Apparatus sacer*, page 28.

*By Nicephorus Callistus: An explanation of the kontakion, the oikos, and the exaposteilarion, [as to] why they were so named. Requested by the most holy Hieromonk Cyril the archimandrite*; in Nanian codex 228, no. 19, according to the *Catalogus codicum Græcorum Nanianorum*, page 421. (Harl.)

Humphrey Hody also did not hesitate to attribute to Nicephorus Callistus, as author, a short book which he edited from the Baroccian ms. in Greek and Latin under the title: *Refutation of the Anglican Schism*, in which book it is proven by many examples that bishops unjustly deposed never refused the communion of an orthodox successor. Oxford, 1691, 4to. ^D [He claimed] he would also edit his *Collection of Saints throughout the year for individual months, in iambic verses*. See Montfaucon, *Bibliotheca Coisliniana*, page 184. (Harl.)

Regarding the Synaxaria, etc., see more in Lambeck, vol. V, pp. 596 sqq. Regarding another Synaxarium, see Lambeck, vol. VIII, pp. 119, 123, and what we have brought forward above regarding Nicephorus... Paris, in the public library, contains three codices of the Synaxaria of Nicephorus according to the *Catalogus* (see index) in codex 407. The author of the *Catalogus codicum*, page 57, says that this work is unpublished and differs in the beginning from the Synaxaria of the ancients, because in it you may detect various errors of the more recent Greeks. (Harl.)

Cotelerius had promised this in *Monumenta Ecclesiae Graecae*, III, p. 645. "I have found," he says, "in a work currently unpublished, which, if God grants, I shall one day edit, [a text] concerning the famous schism over Joseph, the successor to the patriarchs of Constantinople, occurring in the year of Christ 1266, after the deposition of Arsenius, and concerning Germanus, who abdicated shortly thereafter." However, the editor himself, Humphrey Hody, later rightly acknowledged that this little book should be attributed not to Nicephorus, but to another, more ancient writer, who composed it in the year of Christ 1267. See his *Letter to a friend, concerning a collection of canons*, Oxford, 1692, 4, p. 42.

Beatus Rhenanus, in the Basel edition of 1535, fol., appended to the *Ecclesiastical History* of Rufinus and the *Tripartite History* of Epiphanius Scholasticus (pp. 590-615), an *Ecclesiastical History* written by a Greek monk named Nicephorus, translated into Latin long ago by an uncertain interpreter. This work, as if a continuation of the *Tripartite History*, begins from the times of Theodosius the Younger and ends with the death of Anastasius, whom it calls impious and records that he was struck by divine lightning, as asserted by some. It not only pursues individual matters far more briefly than Nicephorus Callistus does in books XIV, XV, and XVI, but also relates some things differently, so that it is necessary that that other Nicephorus was a different person, even though Callistus also appears to learned men to have been a monk. See what James Billius says concerning these *Collectanea* in his *Observationes sacrae*, book 1, ch. 16. Concerning the excerpts from the two books of the *Ecclesiastical History* of Theodore Lector, which the title claims are received [from the voice of Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopulus], what is to be said is noted under *Theodorus*.

EIGHTEEN BOOKS OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY BY NICEPHORUS CALLISTUS XANTHOPULUS

NICEPHORUS CALLISTUS XANTHOPULUS: ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, BOOKS XVIII

Divided into two volumes, and now for the first time published in Greek. A Latin translation by John Lange has been added, collated and revised by the Reverend Father Fronto Ducaeus, theologian of the Society of Jesus. (Paris, at the expense of Sebastian and Gabriel Cramoisy, Rue Saint-Jacques, at the sign of the Storks, 1630, with the privilege of the Most Christian King.)

TO ARMAND JEAN, MOST ILLUSTRIOUS CARDINAL OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH, DE RICHELIEU.

At last we hold the history of Nicephorus Callistus, Most Illustrious Cardinal, which now, after long and dangerous tossing, will find rest in the bosom of your purple, as if in a most peaceful harbor, if you allow it. Alas, by what fates was it tossed! Once held in high esteem by Matthias Corvinus, it later fell into the power of the Barbarians, and when the Turks were invading Pannonia, it was the plunder of hardly a single soldier. Yet it was saved, not by the merit of the history or the events which it contained, but by a certain elegance of character, by the benefit of which it was sold in Constantinople among the furnishings of men of taste, like some more cultured slave. But it found a buyer in him

^A who, envying the public interest, seemed to have made it his own, so that it might not be anyone else’s. But at length it passed from its unjust master into the family of the Emperor, and by right of postliminium was restored to the place whence it had been taken away; for the author Nicephorus himself had judged his work worthy of the Emperor, and had dedicated the history, as is suspected, to Palæologus. Joannes Langus, a man who has deserved exceedingly well of the republic of letters, was the first to release it from the bonds of the library and present it to the Latin world, a name by which, although he earned the gratitude of all, he could not keep those who appreciate the study of antiquity and the dignity of Greek eloquence from desiring to know Nicephorus from his own countenance. But, above others, the mind of Jacques de Thou, president of the Paris parliament and easily the prince among the exceptionally learned, was fired with this concern; he fought with all the influence he possessed, and brought it about that we were permitted to copy the Greek exemplar itself from the Emperor’s library, which we have performed with accuracy. Moreover, to the trustworthiness of this transcript, the Latin version was tested and entrusted by the Very Reverend Father Fronton du Duc of the Society of Jesus, who interpolated and reviewed the whole of it. We do not doubt, with such a sponsor, in asserting that this Nicephorus of ours is the genuine one, and would give it even to his father Callistus to recognize, were he to return among the living. Now, Most Illustrious Cardinal, the Christian world is to owe him to France, which already owes you so much. And how much he is yours, the very indication of the name demonstrates. For whom would Nicephorus (Nικηφόρος) call truly his own, other than him who has seemed to carry victory with him wherever he has traveled? Who has traversed rebelling provinces not so much with steps as with victories: who by his good fortune, vigilance, and virtue has overturned and scattered whatever had hitherto stood in the way of France’s blessedness. And you proceed even now, Most Illustrious Cardinal, to lead that same beneficent and unconquered force into other regions. There will exist, have no doubt, another Nicephorus at some time, who will explain the course of your victories to posterity; although, even if no one celebrates your deeds in writing, fame itself will speak, and no future age will ever be silent about you. We, certainly, for as long as life remains, bound and adorned by your benefits, such as we are, never cease to profess a faithful will to obey, Most Illustrious and Reverend Cardinal, your most dedicated and humble clients, SEBASTIAN AND GABRIEL CRAMOISY, BROTHERS.

ENCOMIUM ADDRESS

ENCOMIASTIC ALLOCUTION

1 Ecclesiastical History having been composed, and ^A written by me concerning the deeds of many admirable men, there is surely no one to whom I could more rightly dedicate this work than to you, Emperor, most loving and most humane of all princes of Christ, who, having embraced all virtues entirely, have left out nothing of the most beautiful and excellent things. And since your own noble deeds are very many and indeed innumerable, far exceeding our oration, your every counsel and deed is guided by the divine hand [toward...]

that which—as one might aptly say—is the greatest and most illustrious of all things: piety, your zeal for the Church of Christ, your fervent and indescribable love for her, and the victories and trophies you have won in her name. For while she was being carried along, struggling amidst the many and countless billows of the waves of impiety and the harsh counter-winds of the storms, finding her and setting all else aside, you ensured that she could sail safely and moor in your calm harbors. And now, remaining unbroken, as if having put off the recent defilement and having been restored to her ancient beauty—or rather, having been cleansed and purged of the salt from the storm by the most refreshing waves of your words—she renders worthy thanks to you, the God-ordained administrator and governor of the world, and—if one may say so—her sacred bridegroom, ^B sending forth a clear and loud voice, that through you all of us, keeping the treasure of piety inviolate, believe firmly that we stand in the certainty of an unadulterated faith, having cast far off, as was fitting, the wandering opinion concerning the Divine.

Yet, if I were to consider recounting each of your deeds from the very beginning, and to explain with what roots the Providence that wisely directs all things laid the foundations for the matters concerning you, the writing would stretch out to a great length, and I would appear to be composing a history rather than a dedication. But since a different plan of writing is proposed to me, it has seemed best to touch upon a few of your deeds at present and to sketch them out in my speech, while reserving the rest for their proper place and time, as is fitting. Especially since that which I now set out to say also leads me to a new kind of poverty, because of the abundant and overflowing wealth of the matters, ^C so that I cannot finish or carry them out with my pen, for, just as in a varied meadow teeming with countless charms, each thing draws me to itself and attempts to hold me in its examination.

But I shall now bring my speech to an end; it shall be only of a length sufficient to demonstrate the faint longing I have for you and to perform my duty with candor, which until now has been concealed and hidden. It would be yours, out of your gentle and philanthropic soul, to look upon me with favor and to instill an ineffable courage, and above all, if anything has been spoken in my present work not according to reason, to grant me pardon, and to cleanse the composition with the additions and subtractions of your precision. ^D For whatever your judgment may choose to refine, that will be for me and for almost everyone pleasant and most secure, since, for all who have done so, it has especially fallen to you by the gift of God to reach into the depths of such things and to discern them, having obtained as a reward from God a swiftness and greatness of nature, and at the same time, when speaking and philosophizing on divine matters, possessing a mind that discerns with great fear, soberness, and accuracy, and a tongue that clarifies what is presented; having the power to discern such things strongly, so that the one is known by the other; because truly, under your trial, no one is so bold and audacious as to then...

apply his finger to the writings after your file and judgment. Therefore, omitting many things, I shall at last begin my speech concerning your affairs.

3. For since you were about to be born, as one of those excellent and most noble men given to us long ago by God, and were to obtain dominion over all men, the Angel of the great counsel, or rather the Father and ruler of all things, took counsel again and said to those who are of the same nature and honor with Him: "Let us make man again in our image and likeness," according to the first one that had long since flowed away. And suddenly, by the divine nature, you were fashioned, with the breath of life breathed into you, destined to become a vital power as well as a first-fruit and progenitor, as it were, of another world in our midst, using as a kind of starting point and cause your own father; who, by the nobility and greatness of glory of his ancestors, by his generalship and wealth, and furthermore by his wisdom, courage, and maturity of nature, eclipsed all the princes of old as well as those of his own and our time. And it was for no other reason that God delivered to him the imperial scepter, after he had previously performed many deeds for the Romans, than that you might easily and bloodlessly obtain the empire, and, being destined to be far most illustrious in piety and in all good deeds—the very things by which a king is shown to be truly a king—might be glorified. But since it was necessary that the imperial house and court be prepared for you also, who were to receive the rule over all from the hand of God, or rather had received it before your birth, it was fitting that it should match such a scale and magnitude of rule; and this, just as for that first Adam, the whole world, and whatever that paradise was, had been worthily prepared. ^C But this was a new Eden, a heaven on earth, the prototype, as it were, of paradise; it was your fatherland, yet a common home for all Christians: the queen, indeed, of all cities. For as soon as you yourself emerged from the maternal chamber, the swarm of brigands that had long afflicted it was expelled from there, struck with a kind of terror and shattered, fearing the true heir, its emperor and founder; which brigands, in fact, accelerating their exit and flight, as if cast out by your flashing sword, fled away in different directions. ^D And thus, through you, it has been opened to us all, and it becomes the best nurse and foster-mother to you, these two things having been kindly bestowed upon you and it by God. For neither could it, having just recently begun to see the free light, have obtained its due glory in any other than in you alone, who have advanced most of all to propagate the glory of God and have been increased with the highest dignity of honor; nor indeed could a more fitting home and habitation have fallen to your lot than that. For even that which is customary with God, to lay the foundation of the affairs of great matters from afar, was done well, and it came to pass. But even while you were still wrapped in swaddling clothes and being nursed, the

^A future grace of affairs exulting and, so to speak, leaping, you displayed in a grave and imperial manner of body; and amidst the daily development of your limbs, you wore a certain senile prudence, showing forth in yourself an excellent piety; just as John, exulting and adoring Him who granted you grace in the holy founts, made it manifest. And what need is there to speak of your other deeds, until you arrived from infancy to the age of a boy? Except that, as the proverb goes, from the first line, piety, love of God, and humanity were your study from the beginning; for indeed, all other things that are worthy of care and praise concurred, and you progressed at once in age, in wisdom, and in grace: not that these increments were lacking in you, but that they revealed and exhibited themselves together, and assumed firmness as you grew in age, with the gravity and culture of your character. And indeed, to this beautiful and good foundation—piety itself—fortitude first drew near; ^B following this came prudence, and then temperance also flourished. Justice also arrived at these, a chain that is indeed golden, which many cannot entwine and connect. But you, harmonizing these most beautifully of all, have perfected a new and truly admirable harmony and concert of virtues. For those things which were excessive or deficient in them—the vices themselves being cast aside—you embraced the middle way, and from these, you fashioned one entirely universal virtue.

And that I may summarize in the middle what was done, since it was decided by the divine decree that you alone should sit at the helm of the empire, having performed your duty to humanity, the common defender and emperor of us all, your father ^C and teacher, departed: when indeed he had previously extended the Roman empire, as if from a center to a circle, through imperial arts, having brought back victories from enemies, and through other administrations of great affairs, having left behind a huge and great glory for all those who are under the sun. You, however, most excellent Prince, having clothed yourself in power alone, immediately took the field for God Himself, using the divine power from the very first—as they say—starting line, for the sake of Him who anointed you. And thus, as I have said before, when the true religion, endangered by being corrupted by spurious and strange doctrines, was in need, you stood in charge of it with all zeal and most wisely. ^D For, having rightly perceived that piety alone is sufficient for the protection of the empire, and to serve the divine with care, and that nothing else is to be compared to this, you took up a truly divine and most wise outlook, being pleasing to God because of your care that the true religion, having been brought into danger by new inventions, through adulterated and absurd doctrines, was preserved most studiously and wisely.

^A Since you have conducted yourself in the commonwealth in such a way that you provide from within yourself the motives for it, your ear is readily inclined to attend to your entreaties, and to go before you in all your undertakings, and to establish the matters of government; so that the affairs of the realm might be ordered and regulated in the best and most orderly manner, and, as one might say, you have polished a living image and statue of empire, truly harmonious and imperial, to an incredible and supreme beauty. For I believe that the grace of God does not come to men unless they show themselves worthy of it through their own deeds: and this, because you have performed the best works, you have attained, being in the first place favored by God. Hence it was possible to see everything evil removed from the way, and everything good lying to hand, and public utility not delayed, and the times themselves, under you as the new and virtuous emperor, renewed and flourishing again. And, indeed, most of the good things were present of their own accord, and others were soon to follow. Hope, too, was far better than the things present. For just as some light, shining from on high, you sent down everywhere on earth the grace ^B that had flowed in from above, abundantly bestowing it, pouring forth, as it were, copious streams of varied gifts. For being full of glory, you did not give in to sloth or a softer life, but surrendered yourself to honorable pursuits. Nor, having assumed the purple, did you neglect to exercise command over yourself: using reason as a bridle, you tempered the administration of the empire with philosophical customs, having placed the fear of God over it as a guard and helper. Moreover, since it was well known to you that men in power do not easily allow themselves to be admonished, nor accept instruction and education, you in the first place adopted it as your counselor, and established it as a guardian and excellent teacher of your empire just as of your own house. Or rather, you had little need of these things. For what is there in you that you have learned from others, or received as an importation, you who, by the goodness of your nature and genius, produce all things, and bring forth to the light all that is good, like some generous and mature fruit? But you did not act upon assuming the empire such that your citizens and subjects should only fear you: you wished that fear to be tempered by love. Hence, when your people loved you with admiration, because you appeared less terrible and did not live by your own whims, nor decide most things based on them, you yourself loved them even more, to whom you truly stood as an excellent father; just as he said: or, what is more fitting for you, A good king, and likewise a strong warrior in arms. ^D For considering the imperial scepter to be a sign of some splendid service, and thinking that the much-coveted crown differs in nothing from the pebbles that are on the seashore—even if these are, in other respects, divine things and representations of immense and secret mysteries—yet you considered the purple to be a mere cheap rag, and that of this

^A flower, tiresome and melancholy, you judged truly; you obtained a moderate spirit in prosperous circumstances, in no way exulting or waxing proud in these things, as do most men. This moderation of yours was most pleasing to God, and it also gave cause for public joy and solemn assemblies, infusing much pleasure into the souls of all. For since you are among the best and most noble, and in no way turning aside to things unseemly, but standing firmly for all that is praiseworthy, while at the same time you were occupied with words of wisdom and discernment, and also with a virtuous ambition for all the most beautiful things—in appearance you were at once endowed with a dignity worthy of a tyranny, yet in soul you were a very gentle and humane person, at first sight welcoming everyone, so to speak, with a strange gentleness of character, and by the charm of your words, which flowed like rivers, holding all suspended, just as a magnet attracts iron. ^B Nature, the architect of all things, fashioned for you a most handsome body, distinguishing you by its superiority, such that one might imagine you to be, I will not say a king alone, but nearly the archetype and specimen of all humanity, according to Plato, and the primary exemplar of all beauty. For strength and power, the symmetry of parts, the rhythm of limbs, and the bloom of youth all running together, preserve in an extraordinary way an excellent temperament and harmony in you, as if nature were present within you in every part, and were artfully adjusting all things by the logic of measures and magnitudes, as if adjusting a lyre, so that you alone have the right to boast on behalf of common nature; for in such an abundance of good things you have emerged, as one might say, as the pride of the human race. And thus, setting before yourself with no ignoble zeal the practice of things beautiful and good, you were, quite literally, like a burning fire, or a cutting axe, or a sphere rolling down a slope; paying heed to all things, and easily imparting everything to your mind. ^C And whatever you once learned, having gone through it, you grasped in your memory in such a way that it seemed as if these things were inscribed upon the tablets of your heart as if on bronze plates—so precious to you was memory. Again, by your attentiveness and quick-wittedness, you surpassed all knowledge in a short time, demonstrating in practice that these virtues, by the greatness of your nature, were all within you, and doing so better than those who had spent the longest time upon them. Hence comes your circumspect and thoughtful manner, for the most part, and the grace and accessibility that are habitual to you. Hence comes that tyranny and mastery over the laws of nature and the violent toils of bodily necessity, and the disdain for royal luxury, and the other of your preeminent qualities, ^D sown in you by God, beyond human nature and understanding; the vigils, whole nights and days long; at times propitiating God, at others defending and dispensing justice for the common good. So that those who see you have not to compare you to a man, but rather to a statue, competing against frost and flame, so as to be the same tireless one in all things, just as you were unyielding in your natural inclinations, mingling with all, and becoming everything to everyone, being very sweet and gentle, and bestowing upon your subjects, according to Plato, freedom in great and unmixed abundance,

^B as if you were born amidst cares and labors, as if the habit of them had passed into your very nature; you delight in these far more than others delight in the sloth, luxuries, and similar, little-praised pursuits to which they have become accustomed. And if these things, too, must be told, I have often seen you not partaking of food every day, but passing two or three days, such that sometimes you lived on bread alone and uncooked vegetables, and at other times on certain fruits; and for the longest time water alone was your drink. All these you used not for sufficiency or satiety, but, having tasted them at all quickly, you ordered them to be removed, so that your mind might remain most pure, free from all filth, abounding in intellectual, spiritual, and divine thoughts, and at the same time so that your vigilance might be maintained more easily, and you could perform most of your business, by divine prescription, at morning, at midday, and no less at night as well. For, vigilantly persisting until deep in the night, or rather, for the most part, until the day was just dawning, and at last going to bed, you would immediately rise again, as if your nightclothes were burdensome and annoying to you. But not even then was there a remission of labors for you; for you were exercising yourself through sleep and wakefulness, meditating upon the growth and increase of our name and glory with tireless impulses and imaginations of the mind and nocturnal visions, and, as far as it was possible, fulfilling and perfecting them: to such an extent that you gave men a cause for wonder, with some suspecting you to be a more divine nature, exempt from sleep and fatigue. And as you were as far as possible, and, as one might say, at opposite poles, from pleasures and sloth; you pursued the discipline and severity of your daily life to the utmost. Hence, the good condition and excellent health of your body were especially yours. And those who toil in this matter seemed as mere triflers, certain Asclepiadae who boast of Hippocrates as their teacher, and no less those ^C who pore over the works of Galen. Provided they were the curators of your health, they were, in fact, themselves more obsessed ^D with their own sicknesses and infirmities—as you approached them, since you had attained the peak of precision—in such a way that they were not even able to stand against you, or even those masters of the art themselves—if indeed they were—in comparison to the way you stood and lived. Now, to Plutarch of Chaeronea, who extols the affairs of Rome, it well occurred to say that Virtue and Fortune, having long been at variance with each other, and having had dire struggles and disturbances, had scarcely at last, through this alone, been reconciled and joined together; and having come together, they completed and jointly worked out the most beautiful of human deeds. But I think I surmise correctly that on you alone, most powerful one, godliness and happiness have converged at once, always contending in a way, with godliness as if forcing happiness, and not allowing it to turn away at all; or rather, I think that God imposed a necessity upon them, and at the same time yoked and blended them, so that while taking what is proper from each, He might work a benefit for all men that is strange and, in truth, marvelous: a permanent mooring, and, if I may say so, a sixth element, and an eternal one, for those who are shipwrecked, drifting among divine things, and slipping away from such great surging and wandering, and a great and

^A truly holy anchor, to those who are in holy matters and those who are otherwise, you have provided; so that in you, one might have a foundation, and it might provide it to others around you as well. And indeed, it had the greatest seat and stability, as a single world of peace and a circle of orthodoxy, or rather of an unerring principality, around which things are carried and revolved. And from this you have endeavored, not only in body but also in soul, to clothe yourself with the purple. For you alone of almost all ^B previous emperors have truly ruled yourself; and having become truly an autocrat, you have cast out the ochlocracy of the passions from your own soul, banishing it; and having established an aristocracy with your own reasonings, you have presented yourself as a living statue of virtue, educating your subjects in precise imitation. For by setting disciplined reason against sloth, you are deservedly considered an emperor not only of men, but also of all the passions, both those of the soul and the body. And indeed, it is possible to see that your surplus of philanthropy is to excess. For your warmongering is also philanthropic, and your gentleness is manly; and your beneficence is most administrative, and your temper is easily reconciled. For your soul, so to speak, has become barren towards anger; and towards the flame of passion, it is almost ^C unassailable, even though it is productive and fruitful for all things good. And that of good order, insofar as you restrain the impulses of the unjust by the instructions of the just, and sow the good everywhere in the land, is no less than that celebrated Triptolemus, casting seeds into the earth. Who then is more sorrowful to the unjust than you? Or more gentle and pleasant to those in misfortune? Or more grateful to those in need, and more inclined to mercy? So that even when no necessity is standing in the way, you anticipate the petition with speed.

But these things have by no means been said by me for flattery or for favor. For how could I, to whom it is not even permitted to speak the truth, struggling against the excesses of the ^D

^A gifts bestowed upon you from God, or those things which have been brought to you in the entirety of your reign, present these things as they are? ^B Yet these facts, too, will clearly demonstrate them. For who, more than you, has glorified God with piety sincere and unacquainted with simulation, or has shown a more fervent zeal on His behalf? Who has been as jealous for the pure faith when it was placed in jeopardy, or [who has] purified the holy table? Who, again, has provided for all learning to receive the greatest increments, and has honored virtue in a distinguished manner, or has chosen the best men for precedence? Who has bestowed upon the ministers of God, and those otherwise dear to Him, and indeed upon almost everyone, the reward that is due in accordance with their worth? And who, in turn, has prepared the imperial palace so that it differs in no way from a monastery, through such prolonged attention and such exceeding piety and decorum? Who has managed the common weal with the balance of the scales so steady? Or who has presided over judgments, or punished wickedness in such a way that even those who were defeated in judgment and condemned by your vote felt they owed you much gratitude? Whose simplicity was so [great] with skill, and whose prudence with clemency? By which virtues, together with humanity, you especially shine, displaying a certain immense depth of serenity in your mind and countenance—at times rippling slightly as if by certain waves, yet presenting no sign of a tempest.

But as for the timeliness of your speech, the appropriateness of your silence, the charm of your tongue, the sweetness of your familiar conversations flowing straight like oil and honey, or the clearly musical harmony of your words, who I ask could express it? And, in regard to the density of your thoughts, and furthermore the perspicuity and abundance of your words—“rivers of surging voices,” as Homer would have said—who has been more enriched by God than you? Wherefore it comes to pass that, while you are speaking, everyone is quite as if inspired by some divine power, and is struck by a moderate frenzy, and begins to revel, and at once leaps up even against their will, and, enraptured by your voices, is led in such a way that they do not wish to retreat, but seem as if fixed to you, just as those truly charmed by Sirens. Someone might rightly call you a sea, which densely stirs up waves of words one upon another, or certainly some immense volume of water which, if a pebble should fall into it from somewhere, from an obscure center—or rather, from a compass-point—and move in liquid fashion, strangely circumscribes one circle after another, rising gradually, and then—due to another [wave] flowing in—diminishing and vanishing by degrees until it reaches the outer limit. ^C And this is even more true when your discourse concerns divine matters. For who other than you possesses a mind and opinion better than the oration and the tongue, or an oration that subserves them with better reason, or [who has] a tongue that—well and acutely (roundly and sweetly, the poet would have said)—^D turns the meaning, and both of these, as was fitting, serving and conveying that which was hidden? I will recount to you only this: when I hear you speaking in public, I become one person after another, and I become entirely absorbed by the charms of your words, seeming not to hear a man speaking, but some supernatural being looking down from heaven, and proclaiming certain strange and divine things—transcending common matters, and announcing certain mysteries and an ineffable depth; so that I even pray that God might grant an additional witness, so that, in accordance with the

prophet’s view, the graces might flow forth in abundance along with elegance. ^B I believe that all men experience this, at least those whose minds are steadfast and settled, and who are not entirely charmed and relentless against such things—whom not even that Orpheus of old, I think, through his oft-fabled lyre, frequently striking it with his plectrum, could in any way beguile; that lyre to which the Greeks attribute the power to draw even inanimate natures by its sounds.

But what of that other quality of yours, in addition to the rest: your resolve never to shed the blood of any of those subject to your empire? And this, not because you bound yourself by oaths, but through heavenly wisdom; judging this to be the finest and most fitting quality for an emperor, as you acknowledge God alone to be the dispenser of life and death. For your reign, being in truth bloodless and free from slaughter, is hailed by every age as bringing forth a happy life and an abundance of all good things. And it is possible to see this in those among whom other goods also overflow; to whom your time has granted that even great natural talents and the noblest arts might live again and attain the highest success—not, indeed, for your own sake, but for theirs, so that you might be both their witness and onlooker, being able both to judge what is rightly done and to store up and reward it. Indeed, I would not hesitate to affirm that it is by your grace that the foremost men among us were produced under your reign. For if, as they say, a temperate climate and the purity of the surrounding air produce a rich yield of fruits, so surely the benignity, honor, and humanity of a prince elicit the growth of illustrious arts and outstanding talents. What a wealth of these there is now!—which we see progressing, increasing, and being lifted to the very heavens by your judgment, liberality, and munificence. This is to be seen especially in eloquence, so that the Greeks of our own time almost rival the very inventors of that art, and thus carry off the first prizes instead of the second, in the opinion of all—even though all these men, occupied with praising you and your deeds, might be found inferior in this regard. For you have striven so greatly to excel in virtues, that the power of speech and eloquence is far surpassed.

^D That Corinthian, Demaratus, upon seeing Alexander in Susa, wept for joy and declared that those who had died before that time were deprived of a great happiness, because they had not seen Alexander sitting on the throne of Darius; and further, that there remained some part of the earth still dark and missing the sun, which had not beheld this same Alexander. I, however, would say that this praise, which another won from time, has a more fitting place with you.

And ^A if one must also say this: with how much joy do you suppose the seven-membered assembly of the God-bearing men of our own time would have stood, had they seen you shining forth along with them, an immense accession of wealth? And most of all, that first one, who is honored by the mystery of the Trinity, in that he did not have you as an assessor, or rather, as his immediate successor to the throne and the empire, the leader of our confession of faith and in truth your father Constantine—a great name among Christians. For such a multitude of enemies would not have rushed in, mingling and shaking the sincerity of the faith with the perverse craftiness of their words. But by a certain wise providence, God, setting you—in nothing inferior to them—as a weight of equal balance in the scale, and granting you a mind and nobility of character ^B suited to the magnitude of the empire, and a progress in experience and goodness, set you over the affairs of our own times, that you might govern them as well as possible, lest we perish altogether. For who else would have sufficed to meet such and so many evils flowing around from every side, but you yourself, who through fortitude, prudence, and the worship of God have been judged righteous, and in our own times considered as another Noah or Moses, using the boat and the wood as an image of the Cross, withdrawing us from the waves of tribulations, rescuing your people from the persecutors, striking and submerging those who pursue them, and by the hand of God raising trophies everywhere, governing the magnificent ship of the world with the veil of the glorious Cross, while preserving ^C the seeds of a new world; or appearing as a column of fire, as it were a new Israel, leading us—the heavenly seed, clearly—to true piety; or surely as a sacred liquor or sap, or a certain divine salt, as I might say in evangelical terms, poured upon us at the right moment when we were already failing and flowing away?

But why do I say these things? For if, by speaking as much as possible, I could attain even the smallest part of your rightly-performed deeds, no difficulty or trouble would attend my speech at all. Since, however, words—even if the best of all are brought forward—must necessarily yield greatly to the realities themselves, lest I appear to move beyond measure by accumulating them, I shall add a few things and proceed to the proposed argument of the history. ^D For who is able, either in speech to recount or in mind to grasp, the good things which God has granted to you with an abundant hand, and the grace of munificence He has generously bestowed, even if one were to set out to recount your deeds, insisting with all the Graces and Muses and more tongues than Homer told of—tongues equal to the number of our hairs? For indeed, he will seem to have said nothing at all, so that he who once undertook to say something will afterwards be led to repentance. For me, however, it will suffice, when I have stated those things which pertain to your piety, to summarize the speech more quickly. The universal Church, therefore, being thus revolutionized into

^A its ancient state, you have restored; you have driven from her every spurious and profane doctrine; you have cleansed the temple of the divine-mongers, not with any triple scourge, but with the word of truth—or, if you will, with the threefold unity. You have been zealous for the sake of the holy and divine table; you have breathed with a fierce spirit on behalf of the Spirit. He, too, has breathed into you the manifestation of precise theology, as you have become truly worthy—by your abundant zeal—to be genuinely inspired with things of this kind; you have secured them, and you have set down laws concerning these matters. With great ramparts you have fortified the cause of piety; you have raised up what had been broken, and you have joined it into a whole. ^B No longer among us, henceforth, are those strange names: Paul, and Cephas, and Apollos; but Christ is everywhere and in all things. In addition to these things, you have revealed the priestly anointing—which, as it were, used to sound like something adulterated—as genuine and brighter than gold, through your burning zeal, teaching the lack of greed in one’s manner of life by law and by writings. And now, to be a priest is indeed something holy—a thing which, in times past, had been gradually debased by foolish wanderings into error. You have honored the form of the Church, always devising something further, and polishing her beautifully into an assimilation with the archetype. You have made the feasts more radiant, not only with the abundance of lights which creep in a circle through the chains and flash—depicting both the number and the splendor of the intellectual orders, and—as it were, like a starry sky in an arcane night—displaying this great and ethereal expanse of the second and, so to speak, intelligible firmament, in the midst of which you yourself shine forth like a full moon, something new and wonderful to hear—but you have also done so with other things in which the divinity is wont to take delight, and with certain vessels which, presenting an unfamiliar appearance ^C and shape, are truly filled with holy awe. But who could express with how many extraordinary and varied vestments you have adorned our hierarchy—leaving nothing to be desired in terms of magnificence—with pure gold, and with the lucidity and purity of precious stones and pearls? Through all of which your indescribable and exceptionally burning love and desire for Christ's Church are most greatly shown. What then? Do you appear to be of the same disposition toward this Church which is composed of matter as you are toward the immaterial and intellectual Church—I mean piety? Far from it. For just as you strengthened that spiritual Church when she was already slipping and falling—not with stones and bricks, but by bracing her with spiritual pillars, namely the decrees and dogmas of the Fathers—so you have done with this material one. You have [supported] this work of incomprehensible and impossible beauty, that ineffable delight and adornment of the common home of men—and I shall say also of the angels—that truly divine palace of the Wisdom of God the Word, which was laboring under the passage of time and, crushed by the weight of what lay above it, was bowing its knee and stumbling. Having opposed to it your golden right hand, you have ^D set it upon a firm foundation.

state of restoration made it stable; and in this manner you have strengthened the whole building, so that in the future no injury of time can bring it any harm. For you have restored it on both sides with inserted stones, beautifully polished, in a structure so solid and almost adamantine, extending so far into the height, that the whole work, by reason of its supreme consonance and cementing, appears to be one single stone. And you have confirmed this entire temple with solid stability; but most especially that part of the building which, facing the eastern sun, had in a manner gradually broken away and separated from the rest of the parts. Nor did you apply your hand only to this work, but you added also to the rest, bestowing your divine and immortal care and solicitude upon these matters. For, indeed, you are exceedingly well-fitted for these things also by the intelligence and greatness of a wise mind. And this work ^B altogether, which we have mentioned, has far surpassed not only all that has existed since the world was founded, but even that most celebrated wall of Semiramis, compacted of bitumen. Furthermore, the ancient founder itself of this divine sanctuary, fashioned in bronze into a most beautiful statue by the craft of sculptors, and portrayed standing on a column performing the act of governing, together with a proud helmet and magnificent attire, having in his right hand an object appearing grave and terrible, with a huge horse also, clearly breathing force through its nostrils and in its neighing, its mane playing in the breeze, and according to the Homeric horse, prancing on the high plain; or again, giving the impression of flying like that Pegasus; and which had suffered sufficiently from the disordered revolution of time and from the movement of the air that does not move by reason, and from long and continuous injury, so that the things it had seemed to contain—namely, the cross and the orb, by which the sculptor had indicated that the whole earth and the sea itself were made subject to him by the cross—had through that sluggish cessation fallen from his hand: this, I say, you have provided for, by an incredible artifice, rousing him as if with a certain goad and lash by means of a golden scepter, so that he might vigorously pursue his course and together with the sun, in an immovable motion, ride through the ages forever.

^D 17 But if I were to proceed to follow up in precise speech how many temples, threatened with ruin by the injury of time, and other public works, and above all the walls of the city itself, which circle around it in the manner of investigators, turning it from a senile state to a burgeoning youth, you have added the firm strength of adamantine walls, time would fail me in the recounting. But the truth of my words can be attested by both of the sacred temples of the apostles,

^A and the house of the Mother of God, which rivals the beauty of heaven, and which the Byzantines—and indeed almost everyone in the city—call the Blachernae. Raised to an ineffable magnitude and beauty by you and through you, they lift up their voices, as it were, and proclaim clearly—and shall continue to proclaim—your god-loving sincerity in faith and desire. In all of this, one might well admire the greatness of your spirit and the abundance of your expenditure; especially because, in such great munificence, your liberality does not parade or sell itself. For since you could have built your own works, such that each one would have seemed preeminent, you chose instead—consecrating the noble act to Him who sees all things and examines the deepest recesses of the heart—to manifest your magnificent generosity in the restoration of the works of others, thereby most wisely suppressing the pride and vanity that might otherwise gradually arise. For if anyone were to gather together into one heap all the works you have perfected in such structures, one by one, you would leave far behind all those who have shown their own munificence in them.

But if one must indicate some specimen of your magnanimity, let that imperial palace be brought into the sight of all—for it is impossible for speech to explain its excellence and immense cost—which you have built for that purpose as much as could possibly be managed, so that it is conspicuous in the site of the place itself, in its solid strength, and in its exact beauty, as is fitting; a work worthy, by heaven, of your mind and tongue, and I will add, of your hand and prudence. ^B Additionally, you have founded it upon four columns, and have strengthened the upper floor as if with supports—a truly remarkable spectacle, so that from that higher place, one looking down as if from a more sublime nature might look upon us, imitating in this respect also God, who in His mercy and goodness mingles with mankind. For what was more fitting for you, who are the great prince of other princes, than to build this imperial house, which you have indeed raised up not more for yourself than for all of us—a work not at all worthy of silence, but rather one that would command silence due to the excellence of the wonder it inspires, and which has pervaded all places with the radiance of its beauty as quickly as possible? ^C In magnitude, it is above many things, but in form and strength, it is above almost everything, shimmering with vast and abundant light and a wealth of splendor. With the pleasantness and grace of its gates and propylaea, or vestibules, it meets those who approach at any time, receiving them kindly at once, and through the interior walkways and courtyards, which certain tall columns, like giants, distinguish as they stand at orderly intervals, it allows them to wander far and wide and feast their eyes. Furthermore, the grace and luster of the marble, which is shaped even into nap, so to speak, and the zones or bands that the whole work displays, interwoven with it—how could anyone describe them? ^D

^A For who could describe such a work of time and vast labor in so short a compass—a feat which neither speech, nor sight, nor even the mind, though trained in such matters, could sufficiently grasp? For myself, it will suffice to say this much: that although many and almost numberless royal halls have been ambitiously and magnificently constructed in times past, this one—by every reckoning, as one might say—holds the primacy over all in all ages, in size, beauty, firmness of construction, and in a way that responds to reason; indeed, in its magnificent and superb masonry, in the inlaying of its stones, and in the various forms and almost every detail with which it is proper that such a building be adorned, it surpasses nature itself.

^B But so much for your works. And being such a prince, best of emperors, and having arrived at such glory, to whom could you be rightly compared? I truly believe that even that Plutarch, who was so great in his comparisons of famous men, would, were he still alive, have thought it a task worth his while to set aside the study to which he had willingly devoted his whole life, on the grounds that he could find no suitable person to place alongside you for comparison. Yet, you could be compared to Adam, Noah, and Abraham, in addition to Joseph and Job, Moses and Joshua, or further, to Samson and Samuel, David and Solomon, and others of that kind, as well as to that Cyrus, Darius, and Alexander, or perhaps to certain others, maybe even to the Julii, the Augusti, and the Caesars. ^C But it is sufficiently clear that you possess the authority over all which belongs to the emperor, while you hold the good hope and love for God of others, the moderation of still others, and constancy in difficult circumstances; the courage, equanimity, gentleness, and modesty of another; the force of wisdom of another; in short, you possess the virtue of all, as it befits an emperor, a prince of the people, and an administrator of the republic: so that your rule is constituted as if it were a certain new and, so to speak, inimitable mixture. By this, you have indeed long surpassed some, while you contend with these others; but as to those from whom I might say you are not far removed, I have nothing to say. ^D And, to speak briefly, whatever was excellent and distinguished in any one of these men, whether given by the gift of God or acquired by the benefit of a superior nature, you, like a certain good and industrious bee, have gathered and brought together with great zeal, and have mixed and tempered them in an admirable way; and for this reason you have surpassed everyone by a cubit in your authority, having displayed your rule to all as an inimitable archetype and a primary exemplar. Wherefore I would dare to say easily that whatever there is of things good and honorable,

^A in part indeed imitated through emulation, and in part surpassed through the excellence of your genius and nature; and those which had not yet been found by anyone, you have both discovered and brought to light, and as far as it was possible, you have shown them to those wishing to see: and therefore, because you have reached the summit through all virtues and noble deeds, you have surpassed everyone by far. And so I believe that a longer life, in which you have gathered together all good things as was fitting, has been granted to you, so that from the duration of time this might be added to the increase of your glory: that since you have most excellently fixed a more certain and stable seat and station among us, even by diligent imitation I could not attain to your virtues, which are almost inimitable. For you are as it were a certain prince of the sacred mysteries, and the best teacher of all virtues; just as if for this very reason God, with nature as administrator and guide, had ^B proposed you, splendidly and magnificently, so that you might be not only the public pillar of the empire, but also a divinely exhibited statue and image of all human goods.

But since, omitting all those whom I have mentioned, I have compared you to one alone, I shall check the course of my speech, which always, on account of my love and longing for you, leads me secretly astray and leads me little by little beyond measure, because to my mind that which has been passed over always seems more excellent than that which we have chosen to say: so equal are all things in their greatness, and neither does one thing decide to yield to another for victory or for primary rank. And so, from an abundance ^C of things to say, I fall into a lack of speech, and my overflowing abundance turns into a remarkable need. I have even more trouble deciding what should be omitted than those who have set out to pursue your praises with me have in deciding what should be said. One, indeed, if I may so say, will suffice for me instead of all, with whom you perhaps, on account of the kinship and likeness that exists between you and him, will willingly allow yourself to be compared. For who else would it be but that Constantine, a great reality and title among all men? Constantine, whose memory it is necessary should be in everyone as a sort of breath, who in greatest necessity brought us aid so magnificently and so bravely; ^D Constantine, great in imperial crafts, incomparable in prudence, but in zeal toward God and in great deeds performed and struggles undertaken for the true piety, shining above all as the sun above the other stars. For are you not, O excellent prince, a certain image of him? No mirror, by my faith, renders the primary exemplar of an image as you, expressing the divine specimen of his soul and representing him in this manner, shine forth, not otherwise than as a genuine son would represent his father. And indeed, although I know that you will disapprove of my boldness, you who are most wont to flee and beware of such things, I would nevertheless not hesitate to speak that boldly (which I ask you to allow, and to consider the reasoning with me, since I know that you are, by grace, a son of God and Christ of the Lord more than others), that you are an image of him, similar in all things, who truly...

^A seen not once, but always, and holding this in his hands, or rather carrying it in his heart, so that by this alone he lived and breathed and moved, you have likewise, just as he did, brilliantly prevailed over your adversaries, whoever dared to oppose you, being vanquished by an unconquerable power. For who could even look at you, supported and strengthened by the mighty hand of God and high arm of Him? He raised a royal city to God and lifted it to beauty and greatness, adorning it not only with necessary things, but also superabundantly with superfluous ones, and setting up trophies over the robbers who had long lain in wait there. ^B You also have liberated it from the robbers who had occupied it, and have made it new and rejuvenated, building a solid wall of fortification around it, and very ambitiously finishing other works of it, so that they appear sparkling everywhere to the eyes of all, and you are called, as it is said, a second guardian and the true founder of it. But he established the dogma of the faith and confused the tongues of those who thought wrongly, speaking injustice unto the heights; and like another Abraham, having gathered three hundred and eighteen men of his household, he drove forward, pursuing and crushing the mad ^C Arius and his followers; and he attributed the genuine [divinity] to the Son, declaring him not a creature as the simple-minded thought, but consubstantial (ὁμοούσιον) with the Begetter, and again an image—but an exact one—and the character of the Father’s subsistence, and him who is in truth the Father, the unoriginate Father; he makes him to be that very thing, bestowing upon him the dignity that is fitting, as it is fitting. And what of you? Was not your path concerning the connatural Spirit equal to his? For having gathered assemblies—not indeed of some men of your own household, but the Church ^D of the firstborn of our time—like a new Abraham, you have again welcomed the blessed Trinity hospitably; and scattering the phalanges of those who laboured with their tongue, you clearly declared the procession, whence it proceeds: namely, from the Father alone, whence also the Son has his existence in an inconceivable manner, yet as begotten. Wherefore I will also say this with confidence, that just as something was previously granted to him regarding the Son, this same thing was inspired in you later regarding the Spirit, so that even in these matters you might have, as far as it is permitted, the equal [share], being supernaturally identified in equal circumstances by zeal and longing, and by the greatness of your deeds. Therefore, I would not seem to fall short of the mark, if I were to grant him the foundation, as it were, of the correct dogmas of the Church, to be and to be called such, but you, as a certain most excellent boundary and key of it, and an inviolable seal, both of you keeping this great treasure of piety equally according to the definitions of the Fathers, and neither remaining on the earth for long, but everywhere arriving and sounding the trumpet; for if he [was] of both the births of Christ, you...

truly, by the grace given after the Son, have had it inspired into you by the Spirit: so that in this respect also, as far as is permitted, you both have equal praise, having attained in equal and the same matters a marvelously equal and the same honor, through an outstanding zeal and desire for the Divine Being, and no less through the magnitude of your deeds. And so I think I shall not depart from the established path of truth if I grant to him that he is and is reputed to be a foundation of the doctrines of the rulers of the Church, while I compare you to a certain most beautiful summit and key and perfect seal: and that both of you are preserving this great monument of true piety according to the prescription of the Fathers, and promulgating it—might I say like a trumpet—not in most parts of the earth, but everywhere in all places. Since he sets his seal upon both generations of Christ, while you set yours upon the final testament. Indeed, are you then in the matters we have mentioned competing on equal terms with him, ^B or are you inferior to him and taking second place in the custom of morals, in clemency, in magnanimity, in mercy, in humanity, and besides these in a sincere and guileless religion toward God, and in piety toward the ministers of God; and furthermore in the magnificence of your actions and the ambitious splendor of your works; and finally, which is the greatest thing, in a burning love toward God; to such an extent, indeed, that, as the proverb says, you have moved every rope, through supplications, laws, and proposed examples, so that the worship of religion might receive its increase, and our affairs might be ordered most correctly? This is so far from being true, that were it not that the intervening time had created a certain interval, there would be no obstacle at all to the one being situated within the other: so that one walking in public from the other, and indeed through the other, would be so recognized by reason of an indistinct similarity, that through that similarity, while each was judged by anyone to be the other himself, it would not be sufficiently clear which one was which, just as parts of air and water mixed together ^C among themselves. Moreover, what I am about to say will be said with boldness and not untruly: that you have been deemed worthy by God, just as brightly as he, of the same rewards and ornaments, the same status and order, and the same apostolic calling, along with that long-standing kingdom and authority which knows no succession, and of honors truly and most splendidly.

Is the speech, then, sufficient and has it painted my emperor well? Or is there need, just as the diligent and praised painters do, to add other colors besides? But what words would describe such beauty of both soul and body? I for my part do not think it possible, even if all were to come together into the same place at once: Plato, that man of magnificent mind and tongue, or indeed Demosthenes with the force and gravity that subsides in his speech, or Thucydides and Aristides—the one knowing how to lift up speech to bulk, the other having learned to speak in an inimitable style; and both indeed, and almost alone, knowing how to make deeds equal to words in the highest degree. But neither Apelles and Lysippus, who by the best tempering ^D of colors greatly exalted the art of painting, and proposed panels that were almost alive; nor indeed Phidias or Myron, they too being outstanding craftsmen, who were highly skilled at indicating the characters and dispositions of men in bronze and stone, and in their sculptures and works were sufficiently able to bring forth, as it were, settled within the very images of those whose forms they shadowed, the virtues as well

^A as the beauty and magnificence that shine forth on my emperor; yet were they able to describe or shadow them forth, even if they applied newer flowers of speech and colors? I know not, unless someone should know well how to impress the likeness of your body into matter that is immortal and living, possessing everlasting roots and a weight that is stable and unmoved: by fashioning Thracian Athos, perhaps, or something else that is second on earth after the heavenly height—Olympus, it may be, or Caucasus, or Parnassus—into a form representing your image, and if it were possible to provide it with proportional breadths and heights, and joints and limbs, it would show it to be truly your image, possessing such composure and magnificence, which has hitherto been impossible. But gold and silver, and in addition copper and ivory, besides also woods, dyes, and jewels, as small and venal ^B images that are subject to theft, and which in time yield and decay, how could they render what is owed to you and befits you? Therefore, let this very thing—that no one can worthily and as it ought to be, depict or delineate the divine specimen of your soul and form—redound to your highest praise and glory; and let it be like an inscription on a tablet, an image, a column, and even a statue of your empire that is inimitable. In addition to all these things, I will add one thing, and that briefly: even if you had none of the other things, which you possess in numberless quantities through the kindness and gift of God, the very treasury and dwelling-place of true piety, which contains all good things that anyone could possibly conceive in their mind, this new tabernacle, this other Zion, this new sanctuary of God, ^C this second and double Ark, the most beautiful eye of the whole world, or rather its heart, the most opportune of all things, and (to speak simply) whatever is best on earth, this great and imperial city—I mean Constantinople—that we possess it through you, and that you have arrived at the point of certainly restoring to the Church its beauty and splendor, having cut off all the paths that lead to error—these things alone would be sufficient for you for remarkable glory and great renown, lasting throughout the age itself, longer than anyone could ever conceive or express, and for an immense and unashamed confidence in hope toward God as well as freedom of speech. Such are the things I have to philosophize in this matter, I who live under such a prince, ruler, ^D and curator, one who meditates and practices philosophy in an imperial manner, and administers Christian affairs in a prosperous state and success, as says the son of Ariston. But, O most humane of all emperors, receive this our discourse, one thing out of those excellent things that are with you, and that indeed very briefly and tenuously, following as it does true piety. For it is not our intention to go through all your particular qualities; for these have been praised long ago and by many, and they will be praised still in the great age to come; and therefore those things which to the others

^A have been passed over, new ones have been found; and all things have been both passed over and spoken by all. For after many men, as if plunging into the wide sea, submerged themselves in the work of chronicling your deeds, one mentioning many things, another most, another some few, and one different things in various ways, yet no one of all of them possessed such great daring as to set himself to describe everything—a thing which by all has rightly been judged to be utterly impossible. Much in the same way, we have proposed to ourselves to set forth a certain part of your most humane empire, namely, your excellent zeal and piety toward the Church of Christ, inasmuch as we have resolved to dedicate to you this book of Ecclesiastical History, recently written by us. For to whom else should we consecrate it? Since, therefore, it appeared to us ^B fitting to gather all that history into a single volume, and to arrange in one order both the previous material and that which had been omitted—which had hitherto been treated in a scattered manner by many different writers in various works—we decided to present it for your excellent reckoning and judgment; and if it be approved by your opinion, the matter will be rightly ordered. If not, it shall be accounted as if it had never existed, by my own judgment and that of almost everyone else. This work of mine proceeds, as far as was possible, taking its beginning from the descent from heaven and the intransitive movement from the paternal bosom of the ante-secular and Son and Word of the beginningless God and Father, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, being divided into several volumes. It proceeds to the place that was appropriate, ^C extending and remaining suspended sufficiently far from our own times, with a movement that is easy and, in the highest degree, uniform, such as in truth it behooves writings of this kind to be composed with regard to phrasing, diction, and arrangement. Therefore, I pray, kindly accept this history: which, as has been said, we bring to your reckoning, nay rather, we place it with fear upon your venerable and imperial head, like a certain crown; not indeed gathered and woven from some meadows that are flowing and fading most quickly, nor from flowers that wither, nor again from certain clear stones, sweet and pleasant, gleaming with a certain brilliance and the sheen of gold, which are quickly ^D rolled and turned from side to side, and now bewitching and caressing one, now another, as in a dream, for a brief time; but gathered from certain pristine paradises and immortal flowers, which neither by time, nor indeed by any old age, perish and fade away, but are, as it were, painted and imbued with the divine and spiritual fragrance of the written word, and have partaken of some of the dew dropping from Mount Hermon. And having woven this, as far as was possible, we apply it to your lofty eminence; which I believe the great age itself, out of reverence for your immense achievements, will preserve unfading. And if any tongue should for a time be wanton, and any training insolent, and any mind—to speak in the language of Scripture—should choose to blaspheme against the heaven of your glory, and launch arrows into the air, and draw out words with some shadow—in the language of tragedy, which I do not think anyone would dare to do for long—yet seeing you crowned and applauded with this, he shall be struck dumb, and his injustice in speaking against the heights shall quickly be reproved; and a man might turn his eyes away, and not even dare to gaze upon the

brightness ^A that arises from it with grace. For it has various and all-manner of glittering and golden colors from its flowers, as one might aptly call it the most fertile garden of a field. But it abounds most marvelously with those which shine while budding, and which bloom with a purple appearance, and those which, by their luster, veer toward blackness, which shine most brightly. These are they, indeed, from which the crown has been most beautifully woven and joined for you; the robe of the priesthood, shining above the sun itself in purity of life; and the true and venerable purple of the martyrs, abundantly dyed and bedewed with their own blood; and furthermore, the dark and divinely woven garment, the reconciler of light, most fitting for those who hasten and strive toward the angelic life. From these, the Church of Christ, having wrapped herself in a golden ornament of virtues, as a bride, presents and represents to the king and emperor a thing most beautiful of all in this universe. This book commemorates their labors and struggles; through which, as one equal to them in honor and dignity, we bind upon you this crown woven from them—you who are best in all things, and both in nature and soul royal and imperial. We address and dedicate this to you, although you are already greatly adorned with a crown of glory; for we grant this here even now as a sort of pledge and, as it were, a prelude of that future and eternal one—this, I say, the most precious crown of the empire—which Christ, the giver of crowns, has bestowed upon you, who have borne and established most excellent trophies and splendid prizes of victory, corresponding to your very name, the fruit of your marvelous virtues, struggles, and labors.

^B With this ornament, then, and the radiance ^C springing forth from it, he is able; for it has various and all-manner of glittering, golden colors from its flowers, as one might aptly call it the field’s most fertile garden. But it abounds most wonderfully in these: those which flourish in white, those in which the crimson blossoms, and those whose black flower-color shines most deeply. These, then, are the things from which the crown has been most excellently woven and joined for you; the robe of the priesthood, shining above the sun in your life; and the true and venerable purple of the martyrs, sufficiently dyed and indeed bedewed with their own blood; and in addition to this, the dark, divinely-woven garment that brings forth light, most befitting those who are hastening and striving toward the angelic life. From these, the Church of Christ, having clothed herself once and for all in a golden ornament of virtues as a bride, stands before the King of all as a thing of great beauty—the struggles and contests of whom this book recounts. Through it, as one equal in honor to these, we bind upon you the crown from them—you who are in all things the best, and both in nature and soul kingly—addressing and dedicating this to you, and that too, highly adorned with the crown of glory; which, even here, as a kind of earnest and, as it were, a prelude of that future and eternal one, I call the now most-honored crown of your rule—a prize, I think, of your virtues and supernatural struggles and labors, which Christ, the crown-giver, bestowed, having borne and raised aloft, by the name of victory, most excellent and brilliant trophies.

Come then, you who alone by nature understand all things, as one has said, both divine matters and those of outside education, and of these, the most secret and sublime doctrines, use your intellect with great diligence and labor concerning the most beautiful things; apply your nature and bring the material to the fire of your incomparable knowledge and judgment. Or rather, test and examine this work with your scrutiny; and just as it was well said to one who previously undertook to speak well, so it shall be said now: no one is so stubborn and full of audacity as to dare, after your judgment, to lay a finger upon these writings again. As for the wicked and envious tongues, permit them to be consumed and to perish in the venom of the parricidal serpent. For who, I ask, has found anything in you, incomparable in all things, to malign? O divine justice, and thunders, and lightnings flowing from above! As for the godlike and majestic

^A intellect, and the greatness and weight of your actions, it is not possible to find an encomium worthy and fitting, although very many have said very many things and have exerted much and prolonged effort regarding your affairs. Yet all of them are found to be inferior to these things, attempting to touch the heavens, or striving to grasp their own shadow, which, the more they press upon it, the more it gives way and flees.

What are you saying? Have you resolved to find fault with and criticize him who possesses his own native glory and dignity from the source itself, and whom honor and grandeur especially attend as a retinue, adorning and decorating him? ^B To whom not even that Momus, who is worshipped as a god among the Greeks and is the inventor and author of insults, would dare to draw near, or indeed even to look at at all? Rather, Momus does not even exist anymore, having perished and dissolved, since he was unable to attach himself in the slightest degree even to him.

But I leave these things; it would be for you, most excellent prince, to consider and weigh everything separately, and to apply to me the fair and constant judgment of your discernment. For your sentence will truly be that of God. As for me, having cast myself into the greatest of contests, I now recognize that I am truly pursuing things that flee, and following after the currents of rivers. And my failing deserves pardon, for as I believe, any man, were he to attempt to lower himself into such a contest, would suffer this, even though he might not be able to attain to the things that are almost unreachable and incomparable.

^C But the King of kings and Lord of lords, Christ, who with His own blood firmly established His Church, and who set you—the protector and genuine defender of that Church according to His own heart—therein, arrayed in crimson robes, may He guard your pious reign for infinite cycles of ages; may He cause it to overcome all those who are round about it in unshakable joy, until He has placed all its ^D enemies beneath its feet so that they might be utterly crushed; and may He continue to strengthen you, and grant glory upon glory, ever greater, and throughout all time, may He allow you and your children, and your whole race, and this city—of which He himself is the guardian and founder—to flourish. So shall we, by the abundance of good things, ascend even to those fabled golden Ennas of the Romans; and after a long time, and a deep and prosperous old age, almost inexhaustible in its breadth, may He deem you worthy of that eternal kingdom and empire that knows no succession; and in that Church of the firstborn, may He seat you on the same throne and in the same rank with that royal prince of the faith, so that you may gather the honors and fruits of your long labors undertaken for the sake of Christ’s Church and its flock, as is fitting and as you deserve.

NICEPHORUS CALLISTUS XANTHOPULUS ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY VOLUME I

CHAPTER I

Nicephorus, son of Callisti, composed an ecclesiastical history, taking its beginning directly from the very apparition of our Saviour Jesus Christ in the flesh, judging that this work would be illustrious and acceptable to readers. ^A For if one does not consider it a small or humble matter—but rather deems it worthy of the highest praise and veneration—to collect and present profane history in good order, and to offer the fruit and utility of such a study to those who wish to learn it, then surely it must be considered much more laudable to record sacred events in public monuments, which all may be permitted to know, and to establish a doctrine that is both easy and wholesome, and will benefit the public. I, for my part, believe that the greatest gratitude is owed to those who take it upon themselves, through their own private labor, to record histories and common affairs. For those men do not keep what is useful and admirable in these accounts to themselves as private wealth, but rather prefer to serve the public utility by publishing them, showing themselves to be, as it were, ministers of Divine Providence, ^B by describing in one single work events of various kinds, depositing them as if in a public treasury. It is, indeed, easy for anyone to take examples from a public monument of this kind, and to properly order one’s own conduct based on the errors of others, and not to change one’s opinions according to the various changes of circumstances; but rather, as far as it is possible, to imitate the deeds and virtue of those who have acted rightly. Furthermore, if the counsels of the elders are excellent in deliberations, ^C and if one must value the benefit of experience because of the abundance of time, and—as the saying goes—deem everything that surpasses in antiquity to be venerable, then I judge the history which, having advanced in time and having precedence in the multitude of events, is worthy of all honor—and especially sacred history, as it provides what is useful and advantageous for all both in terms of the churches and of actions.

^A For it makes vice, as is necessary, go as far away as possible, mocking it, for it passes in review the censures of base and impious men; and it holds the brave and good men, and those who have contributed the greatest zeal for piety and virtue especially regarding the primary matters among us, worthy of fitting words and crowns of praises, rendering them worth mentioning. To these, indeed, it urges those who come after them to attach themselves equally to the finest works and the way in which one ought to believe about the Divine.

^B Whence we also, judging it worthy of just acceptance that such zeal has been expended on common matters, have been brought to a similar zeal for the subject; not having demonstrated virtue regarding actions, nor indeed relying on eloquence and the strength of words; but having fixed our mind as much as possible on those who have written before us regarding the things of the Church, we have deemed their intention most worthy of all acceptance; yet we have not judged their works to be altogether worked out for the common benefit. For some of them, not agreeing with the sound word, do not even appear to be worthy witnesses of what is said by them in many things; ^C whence it is that most people dispute the things that are truly spoken by them because of the lack of strength of their dogmas. Others, because they have entirely differed in the word of faith and have been set against the party that is opposed to it—even if it happened later that they held reasonable views—have left out many things because of the strife with those from whom they differed; nor do these have a trustworthy account that is firm and pure, although they otherwise prevail by power of speech, and by the depth of Scripture, and still further by their desire and zeal concerning Christ, standing out as bearing the palm among those of our name. ^D For instance, Eusebius of Pamphilus, starting from the times concerning Christ, traverses the events that occurred in the churches until the times of the great Constantine, having garnered his history from Philo and Josephus, from Clement the

Editor

^A should be distributed among them. For they even disagree among themselves on certain matters, detailing the disputes of the bishops among themselves as each saw fit, and each adding to their own histories certain different and strange things not mentioned by others. From this point, again, Theodorus, a reader of Byzantium, and Basilius the Cilician, and Evagrius, a former prefect, passing over the times of those before them and their own times, joined their own records to the histories of those we just mentioned, fearing the difficulty of the task: some even departing from life while writing, and so not completing their intended work. Evagrius himself, being of illustrious rank, carries the history down to the time of Justin, for the most part treating of secular affairs, the arguments and subject matter of which he gleaned from Eustathius the Syrian, ^B Zosimus, Priscus, and John, Procopius of Caesarea, and furthermore from Agathias, who were the orators distinguished in the succession of those times, and from other not insignificant historians. All these men, however, record many things that are not timely, and they omit not a few things that are necessary, whether doing so intentionally, driven by their own feelings, or because they were unable to attain to everything, struck by a certain fear and the unworthiness of the matters; and perhaps because it was not granted to them, as it is now, to indulge in a style of writing about things rightly established, at a time when the Church enjoys the greatest liberty of speech and writing—a liberty which we have especially employed in this present work. For Eusebius covered ^C three hundred and a few more years, while the writers around Socrates and Theodoret, and likewise Sozomen, covered about one hundred and forty from the first year of the proclamation of Constantine the Great, specifically until the seventeenth year of the younger Theodosius. Following them, Evagrius himself likewise covers a period of about one hundred and forty years; so that the entire history from the birth of Christ, which the aforementioned historians wrote, both individually and collectively, encompasses a period of not less than six hundred years. But concerning the ecclesiastical matters of the times that followed, up to this present age—though they were neither fewer nor less significant than those—it occurred to none of those who were able to write history to ^D encompass and comprehend them, joined with those others, in the volume of a single work: I know not whether they omitted such an important task out of sloth and weakness of mind, or because they shrank from the magnitude and difficulty of the subject. Indeed, since histories of times and events are thrown together piecemeal and casually into many various writers and volumes, their knowledge and recollection is arduous and difficult, as the events are scattered here and there in a manifold manner. We, therefore, having examined with much labor and time the arrangement of each, judged it necessary to treat the one subject of the universal Church under the guidance of God; and first, I shall endeavor to go through the matters before us individually, as far as possible, in a concise style, leaving out what is superfluous and what seemed to the time-period proper to the subject; but allowing the necessary parts of the concept to remain in their place; and those things that are missing

I shall add to their writings, and whatever things worthy of knowledge any of them may have noted, while others omitted it, I shall weave into our work. I shall also endeavor to direct and accommodate their dissenting opinions to the custom of the Church, which has prevailed by the prescription of time. Whatever is insincere and adulterated I shall reject, and with plain and open speech I shall profess the right and sound doctrine of the faith with legitimate freedom. Next, I shall endeavor to add those things that were passed over and omitted in subsequent times, not placing the end of the history too far before our own age. This, as I indeed believe, will be able to profit readers greatly, and will certainly cause the least amount of trouble to those wishing to examine it. For it will be possible for anyone to draw forth from it, as from a more abundant fountain, immense utility. For it is sufficiently clear that, since there are many books by ecclesiastical historians written dispersedly, it is not easy for one who wishes to read through and know all of sacred history to ^B procure and compare them. Furthermore, the variety of style and elocution, as well as the multitude of books, makes the knowledge of these matters very arduous and difficult for readers. But a continuous work, composed in one context of writing, commemorating certain matters from all sides with clear narratives, presents an easy and prompt reading to all; and because of the same tenor of elocution, it presents a consistent knowledge of the events themselves, like a certain chain coapted on all sides in its own order, and wonderfully woven together and, as it were, proceeding forward. Finally, I think this history of ours excels the others as much as the whole excels the part, and a continuous work excels an interpolated one. Moreover, whatever is contained in such a useful book, we have collected not so easily, but truly with much labor, when we were still from boyhood at the august temple of the Wisdom of the Word of God ^C itself, and were able to seek many things from those volumes and commentaries that are there. But what other gratitude could we render to the eternal Wisdom herself, who has conferred the greatest benefits upon us, and has allowed us to enjoy her own charms and delights, providing us with a dwelling and a place of residence there for a long time, and, having acted as a kind of midwife and nurse of piety, has brought us even to this age and level of learning, if not to take up all her own things—or, to speak equally, the things of the universal Church—and, as far as possible, to lay them out completely, and to set them forth for the common hearing of those who wish it? We do not prize at the highest value the weight of speech nor the elegance of words, ^D but simply, as it stands, we endeavor to lay out for all, bare and unadorned, the events that have occurred in the churches from the beginning, examining the things recorded by each of them according to the ancient times—as far as our capacity for discourse allows—well and as was proper. But since this is our subject, and it is necessary for the sake of clarity to define something beforehand concerning the whole work, it must be known that the entire book has been divided for us into eighteen volumes.

^A The first of these will encompass the deeds of our Savior and Lord Christ: how, having departed from his own throne without change of place through a compassion of incomparable goodness and mercy, and having assumed flesh from the Virgin, and having most excellently traversed his earthly life, through his saving passion and his supernatural resurrection he ascended again to his Father’s throne, having accomplished our reconciliation with his own Father, perfect and absolute.

The second will treat of the things pertaining to the all-holy Spirit, namely, what works he performed through the holy apostles; what things they themselves accomplished, and what end of life each of them met, leaving behind for us their sacred writings; and which these are, and which are genuine and canonical.

The third will set forth for me the first successors of the apostles, where and how the saving doctrine traversed the whole world; what calamities and disasters Jerusalem suffered on account of the deicide of the Savior Christ Jesus; whom in turn the successors of the apostles left behind as heirs of their ministry; as well as which of them and how many were adorned by martyrdom for the name of Christ; and concerning the heresies which then first sprouted up against the saving doctrine.

The subject matter of the fourth volume will be who were the leaders of the false and adulterated doctrine, and whom the ^C Divine Providence—which disposes and directs all things well—raised up against them as ecclesiastical writers and teachers, men excelling in apostolic gifts, overturning their insane opinions both by life and by doctrine; who these were; and what contentions then arose concerning the question of the celebration of Pascha.

The fifth matter will be the persecution of the Churches under Emperors Severus and Decius. Furthermore, it will weave the history of Origen, who abounded in wisdom—what his life was, and what his writings were; how many of the God-beloved martyrs in the West and in the East bore the struggle for Christ with fortitude; concerning Cyprian, bishop of Africa; concerning Dionysius, who presided over the Church of Alexandria; and concerning those Christians who during the persecutions under Decius renounced their piety.

The sixth will commemorate the various heresies, the authors of which were the impious Manes, the impure Novatus, and furthermore Apollinaris, and the Samosatene Paul. It will also describe

the affairs of Dionysius of Alexandria; and those who, as bishops of the great cities, remained firm until the persecution of the Churches; and concerning the ecclesiastical writers who flourished at that time, and other men who were otherwise celebrated for their divine wisdom.

The seventh ^B will deal with the contention and strife among our bishops, from which, having been deprived for a time of divine grace, they fell into grievous perils. Furthermore, it will treat of the ruinous tyrants, Diocletian and Maximian, Maxentius and Maximinus, and Licinius, and how cruelly they raged against the flock of Christ, and how they were destroyed; and how the great and equal-to-the-apostles Constantine, prevailing over them by divine power, granted peace to the Churches, and, being proclaimed the first Christian emperor, magnificently built the city named after himself.

The eighth, likewise, will cover the equal-to-the-apostles Constantine himself, and the events which occurred in the Churches during his reign: both the matters concerning the impious Arius, and the first council held at Nicaea; and how the affairs of the Christians advanced; and concerning the angelic manner of life of the monks, whence it took its beginning, and who its founders were; and all that was done by the Arians ^C against those who chose the path of true piety, and especially against the great Athanasius; and concerning the blessed Helena, and her God-pleasing works; and the same will narrate how, having reached the end of her life, she was buried together with her son Constantine in the city named after him.

The ninth will recount the events under the sons of the holy Constantine, and especially what happened in the Churches under Constantius, and who the men were that flourished at that time both in the right and in the perverted doctrine; and who were then outstanding in the monastic life throughout Palestine and Egypt; and concerning various synods and expositions of the faith.

In addition to these, the tenth will deal with the God-hated Julian, how he declined from the right faith into Hellenism, and stirred up ^D against us a manifold persecution; and how, having invaded Persia, he perished miserably. This book will also, in part, embrace the affairs of the most pious emperor Jovian, how, defending the right doctrine with great spirit, he ended his life.

The eleventh, which follows this one, will abundantly testify what the Churches suffered under Valentinian and the impious Valens; it will show who were the great luminaries of the Church among us, and who were their antagonists; furthermore, how the monastic order grew to a vast scale; what nations accepted Christianity; and, finally, how Valens perished, becoming a prey to fire.

The twelfth book will be occupied in narrating the affairs under Gratian and Valentinian the younger, and the great Theodosius from Spain, and the second holy ecumenical council; and how the Christian piety might be

^A advanced, as the temples consecrated to idols were everywhere destroyed. Furthermore, it will treat of the grave heresiarchs of that time, and of our own holy and philosophical men. The thirteenth book will brilliantly narrate the events under Arcadius and Honorius; and moreover, it will minutely set forth for me the matters concerning the golden-tongued Chrysostom, and what and how great things befell the Church at that time.

In the fourteenth volume, Theodosius the younger and the woman worthy of all admiration, Pulcheria, will furnish the substance; and it will very thoroughly describe the events of the third council convened at Ephesus; the succession of those who then presided over the great parishes; ^B and furthermore, the events concerning Eutyches and Dioscorus, and Eudocia and Pulcheria, the queens or empresses. Finally, it will describe those who at that time in Palestine and elsewhere most excellently professed and followed a life pleasing to God, namely, the monastic life.

The fifteenth book, which follows this, will comprise the affairs of the most celebrated emperor Marcian and of Leo the Great, and the acts of the fourth council, narrating all these things abundantly; and in addition, the events that occurred at Antioch and Alexandria in the sedition, and also what was done concerning the addition to the Thrice-Holy hymn.

The sixteenth will embrace the affairs of Zeno and Basiliscus, and the circular letters of the latter, and also what befell the Church in the time of Anastasius the Dicorus. ^C Then it will accurately relate the matters of Severus, Peter the Fuller, Peter Mongus, Timothy Aelurus, and other heretics besides these, and also what was again done through sedition concerning the fourth holy council.

The seventeenth will consist of the affairs of Justin the First and his successor, the great Justinian, along with the fifth holy council and the things performed therein; and it will complete for me the deeds of Belisarius; furthermore, it will treat of Justin the younger, and those who were at that time distinguished by a life equal to the angels.

The eighteenth volume will clearly explain for me what was done in the churches under the emperors Tiberius and Maurice; and also the events that occurred with Hormisdas, Chosroes, and the Chagan of ^D the Persians; and how Maurice, paying penalties to God, perished by the sword. Then it will record certain things concerning some individual dissensions and heresies, namely the Monophysites, Tritheites, Agnoetae, and Theopaschites; and also concerning the Jacobites and Armenians, and the dissensions that existed within those very heresies. Finally, it will relate how shamefully Phocas, who, succeeding Maurice, exercised tyranny cruelly, was decapitated.

^A The nineteenth volume will contain an account of Heraclius himself, his children and grandchildren, and the events that occurred under them. It will also cover the movement of the Persians against us, the Akathistos Hymn, the capture of Jerusalem, and how, at that time, the abominable and detestable Muhammad appeared. Furthermore, it will deal with the heresy of the Monothelites and those who followed it—Sergius, Pyrrhus, Paul, and Peter—as well as Maximus the divine confessor; the pious reign of Constantine Pogonatus; the requirements of the sixth holy and ecumenical council, the things enacted therein, and what followed after it, under Justinian Rhinotmetus and the succeeding emperors, right up to the very beginning of the reigns of the emperors Anastasius Dicorus and Theodosius of Adramyttium.

The contents of the twentieth volume will be Leo Conon the Isaurian, the image-breaker: whence also the heresy and sect of the image-breakers arose. Furthermore, it will cover Constantine Copronymus and the impious acts committed by him. At the same time, it will make mention of Germanus, John of Damascus, Stephen the Younger, and the rest of the god-hated works of that same Constantine, and how he himself and his son Leo, who inherited the nickname from the Khazar [woman], perished. This same volume will also encompass the matters concerning the pious reign of Constantine and Irene; the circumstances of the seventh holy and ecumenical council; the honoring of the holy icons; matters concerning Tarasius and Nicephorus; and also Plato and Theodore the Studite, ^B and the schisms and dissensions that occurred in those times; and how Nicephorus the noble, Stauracius, and Michael Rangabe ended their lives.

The twenty-first volume will relate the events concerning the impious Leo the Armenian, how the second iconoclasm came about, who was the father of this movement, and how, on this account, the patriarch Nicephorus, Theodore the Studite, and many others were sent into exile. It will also encompass the reign of Michael of Amorium and the history of the patriarch Methodius; the events that transpired during the reign of Theophilus; and the boldness of the holy men of that time, especially in defending the painted icons—and regarding the holy Methodius and Joseph the hymnographer—and how, near the end of his life, Theophilus gave his approval to the holy icons. ^C

In the twenty-second volume will be recounted what happened to the Church under the reign of Michael and his holy mother Theodora, and the restoration of the holy icons. Mention will also be made of Joannicius the Great, the considerations of Methodius, the removal of the unholy priests, and the schisms of that time; regarding the Lizicians and Manichaeans; how the nation of the Bulgarians accepted Christianity; and also regarding the patriarchs Ignatius and Photius, and the events that occurred between these two, and those that took place in the middle between Photius and Ni-

-^Acolaus the Pope; and how Bardas Caesar and the Emperor Michael were slain.

The summary of the twenty-third volume shall be: Basil the Macedonian and his sons, Leo the Wise and Alexander; and the events that occurred in the Church under them; and again regarding Photius and Ignatius; and the matters concerning the so-called eighth ecumenical council, and the scandals that arose at that time on account of Photius; and how the nation of the Rus accepted Christianity; and regarding the patriarch Stephen, who succeeded Photius, and the schism that arose through him; furthermore, regarding the four marriages of the Emperor Leo the Wise, and the schisms and synods that occurred on that account; and concerning Nicholas and Euthymius, the patriarchs of Constantinople, and the matters done under them; and the events following these; and how Leo, the most wise emperor, departed this life.

These things we have determined accurately and clearly to set before the whole work, with the intention that the proposed argument might be the more clearly grasped by the minds of the readers. And so that it might not be easy for anyone to corrupt our history (for many are accustomed to alter and rearrange the writings of others according to their own whim, as it seems best to them), we have placed the first or capital letters of the volumes—which indeed contain the number of their years—in such a way that, for the sake of more certain trustworthiness, they bear and include our name and surname. ^B Therefore, I ask that if any things have been correctly set forth by us throughout this whole work, they may be placed beyond the reach of envy, which is accustomed to threaten things that are especially excellent. But if, indeed, we have fallen into error in some things through ignorance, let them be corrected by others who possess the power of learning and eloquence, and likewise the virtue of experience. For we undertook to write this work in the youthful age, and we finished it not yet having passed our thirty-sixth year. Since, however, we have spoken sufficiently hitherto regarding all things that we thought necessary, let us now, under the guidance of the divine Being, begin the matter itself from where it is most fitting: setting it before us, in the first place, that we should pursue the very foundation of history, namely, the truth.

^C

CAPUT II

On the antiquity of our Christian religion, and on the divinity and eternity of the Son; and how, both before the law and after the law was given, the mystery of the divinity of Christ was perceived by holy and pious men.

To recount the affairs of the Christians from their first origin—who they are, whence they are, and how they have received such great increments, and to what magnitude and glory they have arrived—I consider to be ill-timed and, furthermore, superfluous that it should be investigated at the present moment, since the holy oracles and records, and countless other matters in order, openly and accurately enough declare that our dogma was laid and founded long ago, and from the beginning, and together with the very foundations of the world created, or rather, even before time and

^A all times and ages it existed, if we ought to look toward the author and leader of our faith, God the Word, our Lord Jesus Christ. For since the mystery regarding him is twofold—we contemplate the one as a sort of head, which refers to his birth that is without beginning and pre-eternal, and which precedes all ages; whereas we look upon the other, as one might say, as posterior and final, which refers to this incarnation from the Virgin that occurred in these latter times, and to his earthly sojourn and life—to expound upon the former and pursue it with precise language is by no means appropriate for everyone. For if anyone were to set out to discourse upon those things, since such a discourse would be outside the intended work, it would present more labor and trouble than the work itself and the subjects we have decided to treat. ^B Indeed, since neither time nor age has intervened in that mystery, and consequently it has not been granted to anyone to be present at it, nor to contemplate and speak of that which is above our comprehension, whatever it may be, we shall entrust it to the safe reward of silence. Rather, we shall command our minds not to exercise curiosity too much in such matters, seeing that they are far superior to our sense, reason, and mental acuity. For us, it shall suffice only to bring forward the testimonies from the divine Scriptures, as: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made, which was made"; and furthermore, to know that God, always existing and devoid of beginning, and preceding the ages, in a manner known to him alone, before these very ages begets his own Son, the true God the Word, beyond all apprehension of intellect and understanding, and beyond every sense and movement of the mind and every cognition; and at the same time, he brings forth his most holy Spirit, not as one begotten, but as proceeding—God, himself also perfect and consubstantial with them, and of the same power and authority. And that these three are one—one nature, and essence, and power—with whom and through whom he brings forth and creates both the angelic powers and this whole universe, when it did not exist before; and furthermore everything that falls into vision and is seen, and everything that is moved by a soul, and that which lacks a soul. ^C And as for the supernal lineage of Christ, the leader of our faith, and his exalted dignity and nature, let so much have been said by me. For who could provide a sufficient discourse for these things, just as the divine oracle implies when it says, "And his generation, who shall tell?" For not even does anyone know the Father according to the… ^D And these things, then, concerning the supernal lineage of Christ, the leader of our faith, and his own exalted dignity and nature, may suffice for us. For what discourse could be provided that is suitable for explaining such great matters? For the divine oracle also indicates this, saying, "But his generation, who shall tell?"

^A For neither could any man know the Father, as is fitting, except the Son; nor again the Son, except the Father who begat him. Concerning whom, as it is with the ancient Moses, the Father says, speaking at the creation of this universe: "Let us make man according to our image and likeness." ^B Indeed, all those who were said in the earliest times to excel others in virtue and piety toward God, such as Abraham and Moses, and moreover all those just men who, through a change of character, were prophets both before and after them, and other men pleasing and acceptable to God, contemplated him sincerely and clearly with the eyes of the mind, recognized him extensively, and rendered to him, as to the true Son of God, the most excellent honor of piety. He, moreover, rewarding such persuasion and faith, increased for them a more perfect and absolute knowledge of both the Father and himself. For there is an ancient prophetic word, that none of those who pleased God in ancient times attained the end of life without faith in Christ. Indeed, if one may conjecture, one can infer this from the manifold visions which he bestowed at different times upon different people, according to as much as each was able to bear. And indeed, in the form of a man, it is believed he appeared more frequently to Abraham himself and to those descended from him, sometimes by himself and sometimes through his ministers, the angels, admonishing them with oracles and teaching them concerning the best things. Which indeed it is easy for anyone to surmise and believe even from this: it is not the custom of Scripture to call an angel Lord or even God; but it calls him simply by the naked name of "angel." But that one it always exalts and celebrates with venerable and transcendent names, calling him clearly and openly God and Lord. Therefore, let this much suffice to have been said to show that the Word whom we worship—being eternal and more ancient than all ages and times—appeared in mystery to those of old, even if not to all, yet to some. ^C

CHAPTER III.

It is by no means necessary to wonder that Christ was not made known to all men and nations a long time ago, as he is now. For the teaching of Christ, most consummate and perfect of all, and most absolute in every kind of wisdom and virtue, was not fit, opportune, or at all appropriate for the life and character of the men of old. ^D For from the very first beginnings, he who had received the incorruptible, ageless, and blessed life, namely the first man and the author of our race, being least mindful of the given commandment, exchanged the immortal for a mortal life. Moreover, those who were born from him, having become far worse—save for one or two—all led a certain wild, savage, and almost beastly life, driven by the impulse of their own appetites. Therefore, they did not inhabit cities, nor did they pursue arts or sciences; least of all did they have any need for laws and divine ordinances. Virtue and

^A philosophy were not known to them even by name. Some were nomads wandering in deserts, destroying the rational seeds implanted in their nature, and fashioning all manner of wickedness from their own voluntary resolve. They practiced without fear everything that was worst for them, so that at times they would arm themselves for mutual slaughter and murder, while at other times they would choose to make war against God, and would dare to build ramparts up to heaven and dash their heads against it. And they provoked the unassailable power against themselves, which, as it moved, because of their stubbornness and fruitlessness—like some wild vegetation spread over the whole earth—God would at one time attempt to avenge with immense floods of water, and at other times to restrain with torrents of fire and harsh bolts of lightning, checking the unchecked rush of their wickedness. He also used famines and pestilences together, and forms of various wars, employing them in proportion to the movement of their evils, and—if one may say so—cleansing with more effective punishments the disease of the soul that was spreading so savagely and creeping so dreadfully.

When, therefore, such a stupor of wickedness was poured out upon everyone like some terrible drunkenness, darkening their souls, the Word of God Himself, all-good, overcome by the greatness of His own goodness, appeared here and there to a few men of old who were renowned for their piety and love of God, assuming the form of a man—since it was not possible for them to see Him otherwise—sometimes ^B through the law of nature, at other times by the presence of angels, and sometimes even by His own mystical appearances. And when, through those divine men, He had sufficiently sown the seeds of piety in many, and a nation devoted to such worship had gradually grown and coalesced into one body, and was recognized as depending upon Abraham as the root of its growth—to this nation, which had been duly cultivated in life and customs both in ancient times and not long before, He delivered the law through Moses as a kind of guide and leader toward higher piety and the worship of God. He displayed and provided symbols and signs, figures and images of the Sabbath and circumcision, and certain other elements and principles of divine counsels and contemplations—mystical ceremonies, moreover, not open and clear, but dark, faint, and shadowy. ^C But when, from this point, the law had been spread abroad everywhere, they were quietly reformed from that stubborn and wild life, began to philosophize, and commenced to have friendships and communal relations with one another, using the law as a pedagogue and, as it were, a rule, and being educated thereby. And above all, the knowledge of God the Father was firmly rooted in them, and they were, as it were, skillful and fit for the reception of greater seeds of the knowledge of God. Then, the same Word of God, who is without beginning and pre-eternal, having Himself sown those first seeds of virtue—since it was not otherwise possible for our nature to be completely delivered from the curse that had been poured upon it—and toward ^D

^A that ageless and blessed life returned. In the last days, the Roman Empire beginning, He took up our nature, in no way differing from our own except for the fatal defilements of sin, and both did and suffered those things which it was proper for God to do in the body while sojourning in this life. In which He exhibited a marvelous birth, an opinion surpassing all others, an unusual conversation, a new doctrine, and a death and burial and resurrection redivivus, which were superior to every miracle of nature. All of which things were proclaimed and heralded one by one in the prophecies of the prophets. Just as the divine Daniel, observing this kingdom at the end of the age with a freer and purer spirit, described that vision in a more human manner with these words: I was watching, he says, until thrones were set, and the Ancient of Days sat. And recounting matters concerning Him, he adds again: A judgment sat, and the books were opened. And next: I was watching, he says, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, as a son of man coming; and he arrived as far as the Ancient of Days; and was brought before Him; and to Him was given the rule and the honor and the kingdom; and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve Him; His authority is an eternal authority, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed. ^B To whom else could these things apply, if not entirely to our Savior Christ, who was named Son of Man on account of His final becoming human?

CHAPTER IV. That the names of the God-man Word, namely Christ and Jesus, were honored and held in esteem symbolically from Moses of old; wherefore priests, and kings, and prophets were called Christs by way of shadowing.

It remains to demonstrate that the God Word Himself, who is eternal and without beginning, was not only known to the pious and God-loved men of old, and in His own time sojourned among us corporally like a stranger: but also that His divine appellations, namely Jesus and Christ, were held in the greatest honor not only by us, but also by the prophets of old. First then, the great spectator of God, Moses, when he was delivering certain newer and secret images and symbols and signs according to the types and figures which the oracle had shown him on the mountain, ^C declared his own brother Aaron to be the high priest of God; assigning him surpassing honor, pre-eminence, and glory, he proclaimed him the Christ of the Lord; and he bestowed this name upon him, mystically celebrating and honoring that appellation, ^D deeming it as something divine and [index: entries preserved]

^A excellent, a leader and a prince. Furthermore, he was the first, inspired by the divine Spirit, to wisely bestow upon the son of Nave alone this name of Jesus, which had never been heard before; holding it to be a preeminent honor, more perfect and illustrious than a royal diadem, which he knew by symbols he was to receive over all after his own passing. For Jesus the son of Nave bore the image of our Savior; he who alone, after Moses and the conclusion of that symbolic and shadowy worship, manifestly received the authority of the true and radiant piety. Moses, therefore, as I have said, dividing into two parts the titles of our Savior, adorned and honored with the highest esteem and glory those who were distinguished by it: the "Christ" to the high priest, and the "Jesus" to the leader who would succeed him, bestowing these names upon them symbolically, not without a mysterious and great secret. Indeed, other prophets after him ^B also openly and very significantly named the Savior "Christ." For the Spirit, says Jeremiah, is before our face: Christ the Lord was caught in their corruptions. And David also says: The kings of the earth stood by, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ. To which words he thereafter adds, saying: The Lord said to me, You are My Son; today I have begotten you. This, then, is the reason the venerable name of Christ did not cover only those honored by the priesthood with the concocted oil symbolically, but also the kings themselves. For those to whom it was entrusted, by anointing them with the divine Spirit, both made and called them Christs by image. Since there lived in them, in every way, certain types and figures of the true kingdom and power of our Savior Jesus Christ over all. Moreover, we have learned by the divine Spirit that some of the prophets also were Christs. For in some way all of these directed their regard toward the sole High Priest of all ^C and King of all creation, and the only Prophet of the prophets, the Savior Christ. A clear proof of this is that not one of all the high priests, kings, and prophets, who were symbolically anointed and honored with His name, possessed such power of godlike virtue as our Lord Jesus, who, being in truth the Christ, showed and exhibited it from His own nature. But to none of them all did it ever befall that those who had subjected themselves to them as subjects were called "Christians" by an imaginary and shadowy name; even though they attained to great glory and honor. Furthermore, no such honor of veneration was bestowed upon anyone else, even after death, so that some would not hesitate to cast aside and lose their very lives for his name. In addition, neither was there, since the creation of the world, such a commotion and shaking ^D of the inhabited earth as there was concerning him. And yet...

^A he came forth as neither a prophet such as those who had existed of old, nor did he possess any dignity among the Jews. Yet, in truth, he had all things from the Father; and though not symbolically, he was proclaimed Christ more than all of them. He imparted his own name and his holy way of life to the whole inhabited world, not as in the past, when they had shadows, types, and images of good things, but providing the virtues themselves, manifest and plain. He left behind to his initiates a way of life that is elevated and heavenly, together with the dogmas of truth; for he himself, in truth, was Christ, the all-perfect Word of God, who was not anointed with a manufactured oil—as were the others—but with the divine, natural Spirit. Indeed, he provides that credible testimony of Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for which reason he has anointed me," and the rest. And again, that of the divine David: "Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your fellows." ^B In which he also portrays him to be by far superior to those who were anointed of old in a figurative manner. The same David also says elsewhere: "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." He is introduced as one who was anointed for the priestly ministry, not with a manufactured oil, nor one pertaining to the priesthood according to the Hebrews—insofar as he is recorded in the genealogical registers of the race. For this reason, our Savior is proclaimed Christ and High Priest with an oath, according to his own order, and not according to that of others who had received symbols and types. Hence, anyone who reads the histories attentively and diligently will nowhere find that he was anointed bodily, nor that he was born from a priestly tribe. ^C He is, however, known as one who from God the Father himself, before the ages, eternally and forever holds the priesthood as a certain gift and singular honor. And this is no less a sign and indication of that incorporeal and divinely-arriving anointing: that among all men, throughout the whole earth, both barbarians and Greeks call him Christ. And from his time down to this very day, they believe in him, and they worship and venerate him as the true God and King and the only High Priest of God and Prophet. And—what surpasses all speech and reason—those who are adorned with his name are convinced that they must worship him not merely with lips and the clatter of words, but with every affection and virtue of the soul, to the point that they are easily disposed and resolved to lay down their very soul and life for his sake.

CHAPTER V. ^A That the doctrine of Christ, and the life of Christians according to the Gospel, have existed from the very origins of the human race, and that this was effective of old in those men who were beloved of God and holy; which Abraham himself demonstrated, having been justified by faith before circumcision.

In addition to these points, it seems right to demonstrate that the doctrine of our Savior is not new or recent, nor was it established in later times by someone who was among the least of many; but rather, as I might say, from the very beginning of human generation, it was practiced most correctly by those men of old who were beloved of God and just; and that the manner of such training, along with the dogmas of piety, was known to be coeval with the human race from God, and not recently fashioned by some. That we ourselves are entirely new, having only yesterday or the day before acquired the new name of being called Christians, is manifest; but that by the appearance of the Savior a great nation suddenly became manifest—not some small thing, nor one lying in an obscure place, nor founded in some single corner, but one that has traversed almost the entire earth—and for this reason excels in piety toward God, and by divine assistance is destined to be invincible and immortal, I shall endeavor to show, as much as possible, according to the pattern of Him in whose name it glories, and whose customs and institutions were formed long beforehand. This is a point which also happened to a certain prophet, who, being illuminated by the divine Spirit, saw this as something that would certainly come to pass, and predicted it as if struck in his mind: "Who has heard such things? And who has seen thus? If the earth travailed in one day, and if a nation was brought forth at once." Then he also points to the future title, saying: "But to those who serve me, a new name shall be given, which shall be blessed upon the earth." The race of the Hebrews is indeed venerable, as being distinguished for its antiquity. In that race, it is recorded that men were rare, yet they were outstanding in love for God, justice, and every other virtue, both before the deluge that covered the world and after it: these were Seth, and Enos, and others, as well as Noah; and besides these, his children and descendants. Among these was Abraham, whom the children of the Hebrews boast of as their progenitor, as well as those who are akin to him by family; they are brightly testified to for justice and piety toward God. If, therefore, anyone were to start from Abraham and run back to the first man, he would find them all to have been Christians in deed, as many as have been witnessed to, even if not by the title of that name; for what the name Christian signifies, as it has understanding of faith and Christ's teaching, it excels in temperance and justice, and in the endurance of a righteous life, and in the manliness of virtue, and in standing unshaken in the confession of piety toward the God of all—this was equally pursued by them as it is by us. For there was no future necessity for them of circumcision, nor of the observance of Sabbaths, nor of the avoidance of foods, ^D just as the Apostle’s conclusion expresses: "We reckon that a man is justified by faith, without the works of the law." (Rom. III, 28.)

you may obtain the knowledge of the faith and doctrine of Christ, so that you may excel in sobriety, temperance, and justice; so that you may maintain a holier life and the virtue of a manly and great spirit with a perpetual, constant tenor; and so that, unterrified and fearless in your profession of piety toward God, you may persevere in all things. That entire effort—and not less than us—they too were eager to perform. For there was no great concern for them regarding circumcision, or the ceremonies of the Sabbaths and feast days, or even the observation and selection of foods and nourishment, and the distinction of other things which Moses ^A first instituted as symbols and images and handed down to his posterity; and for us, too, no necessity has been imposed to observe these things. Indeed, it was certain and clear to them that Christ, the God himself, had been seen by Abraham, that the same one had delivered responses to Isaac, that he had conversed with Jacob, and that with Moses and the prophets who followed him, he had held discourse, just as the holy Scriptures indicate. For this reason, he deigned to call all of them by a certain obscure and slight appellation of his own name, according to that oracular word: "Touch not my Christs, and do my prophets no harm."

Chapter V

^B To state the matter summarily and to draw a conclusion, it is permitted to see how ancient was the piety and religion toward God which we have shown Abraham to have possessed—that it was none other than that which Christ himself recently disseminated among all nations everywhere through his own teaching. Nor does it in any way hinder this reasoning that he received circumcision a long time after. For it is proven by the testimony of Scripture that he was justified by faith before this very event. This is upheld by that passage: "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." Furthermore, to him, still uncircumcised, the divine oracle—the same one who was the Word of God, Christ—spoke regarding those who were to be justified in the future in the same manner as he, using these words: ^C "And in thee shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed." And it is sufficiently evident that this has been fulfilled in us. For just as he, justified by the faith he had in the Word of God who appeared to him, forsook his former life and ancestral religion, and having confessed one God as the governor and Lord of all things, worshipped him not with the ceremonies of the Mosaic law but with the deeds of virtue; so also in the present, it is sufficiently evident and manifest that this same rite of piety toward God is in use throughout the entire inhabited world among Christians alone. So that now nothing stands in the way of our gathering and concluding from this that one and the same life exists both now and formerly, and that our institution is neither new nor foreign for us Christians and for those who lived according to God in ancient times; and that from this it must be concluded—if one may speak more freely—that this is the first, only, and true worship of God, which is through Christ: which worship, while indeed once shown tenuously and in obscurity, has now shone forth upon the whole world like a brighter torch. ^D

CAPUT VI

^A A concise history presenting in summary the Hebrew affairs, and reaching until Herod the alien, who obtained the kingdom of the Jews; which history clarifies that prophecy: "The ruler shall not depart from Judah, nor the leader from his loins, until he comes to whom it is reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations."

Things being so, and having necessarily been premised, we shall henceforth begin the history from the appearance of the Savior according to the flesh, as if by a right-hand guide, setting as our helper and leader the Word of God himself, who is without beginning, at the start of the discourse undertaken concerning him, so as not to wander from the truth. But the account must be taken up from a little further back. The nation of the Jews, as has been said to me, before divine providence established Moses as leader of the nation, was somewhat autonomous and self-governed, boasting of the righteous Abraham as its forefather, and excelling other nations in a dim knowledge of God. After it came into Egypt, on account of Joseph, it was in servitude there for four hundred years. But Moses brought it out from there; he, having appeared as one transcendent in many signs and wonders, so as even to converse with God, and from there to draw the manifestation of things to be done, was leader of the nation, and he himself served as both king and priest for them. After him, his successor, Joshua, son of Nun, received the leadership of the nation. The office of priesthood, however, fell to Aaron, as Moses had apportioned it, who was Aaron’s brother. ^B After these, leaders managed the affairs of the Jews; they were called Judges, being twelve in number, succeeding one another in the stead of the deceased. Later, the Hebrews, being distressed at such a rule, requested to be ruled by a king. And Saul was the first anointed as king over them by the prophet Samuel, as God ordered through an oracle. David succeeded him; whom his son Solomon followed, and thereafter others to the number of twenty-four, presiding for four hundred and forty-eight years. Afterwards, when the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar made a military expedition against them, both the city and the temple were destroyed, and the people were carried off captive to Babylon for seventy years. Now, when the Chaldeans, or rather the Babylonians, had themselves suffered the same things as the Jews, having had war waged upon them by the Medes, who held sway over their kingdom for nearly three hundred years; Cyrus the Persian, having risen up against their last king, whose name was Astyages, ^C overthrew him and transferred the sovereignty from the Medes to the Persians. But these also, having held power for no less than two hundred and twenty years, were stripped of their authority by Alexander the Macedonian until Darius, son of Arsames. He, having brought the power into a monarchy, died after the twelfth year of his rule, leaving the authority to his own boys, the Macedonians, who were named the Ptolemies. ^D And having been thirteen in succession, they held the Persian power for two hundred and seventy-three years. Arsaces the Parthian, therefore, rising up against the last Ptolemy, who was also called Dionysius, whose daughter was

person the Macedonian kingdom among the Egyptians finally ended, waged war and handed over the Persian empire to the Parthians. Not long after, the rule of the Macedonians passed into the power of the Romans, and thenceforth the Persian kings also bore the name Arsacid. Those, however, who, descended from Arsaces, held the kingdom, arrived at Artabanus, having retained the administration of affairs for two hundred and seventy years. After Artabanus, the ^B stock of Chosroes began to rule over the Persians. For Artaxares, the father of Chosroes, being a Magus, killed Artabanus by treachery, and was the first among the Persians to don the crown, from which time the Magi were also held in high repute among the Persians. Alexander, called son of Mammaea, held sway over the Roman empire while the Parthian still reigned over the Persians.

Indeed, the Jews, after seventy years, upon the captivity being ended, were set free by Darius the First, or, as others relate, by Cyrus; they raised up both their city and the temple, which David and Solomon had built, and began again their ancestral worship, not using royal power and administration as before, but rather an aristocratic form of government with an oligarchy; for the priests directed their affairs. And up to a certain time, their affairs were conducted successfully and in good order. Afterwards, however, strife arose among the more powerful of the Jews: at which time Antiochus Epiphanes was contending in war over all of Syria against Ptolemy the Sixth. The cause of the dissension was that not one of the nobles wished to be subjected or to obey one who was his equal and of the same standing. Onias the high priest indeed prevailed, having driven the children of Tobias from the city. But they, ^C desiring to bring Antiochus Epiphanes against the city—for he had long been moved to this by his own will, and was laboring with a deep desire to take possession of their city—took him as their leader, seized the city, and carried away much plunder, having stripped the temple of God and abolished all religion, along with the victims and ceremonies, for three years and a half. By that time, four hundred and fifty-five years had passed since the people had returned from Babylon.

Onias, however, having escaped, went to Ptolemy, who was then contending against Antiochus; and in the Heliopolite nome he founded another city and temple, ^D structured in every way like the one that was in Jerusalem. Antiochus, furthermore, becoming more arrogant from his luxury and intemperance, persuaded the Jews to despise their ancestral rites, and to offer swine upon the altars in place of sacrifices, and to keep their infants uncircumcised, and simply commanded them to discard all the legal worship as if it were nothing. A certain Bacchides assisted in this impiety, a man wanting in no sort of madness. Matthias, the son of Asamonaeus, being one of the priests, from a village named Modeeim, gathered his sons—there were five of them—and with short swords slew Bacchides; and in fear, he occupied the higher ground.

^A Then, having gathered a force of armed men, he descended, and joining battle, he overcame the forces of Antiochus, drove them shamefully from the city, and ruled his own nation with its consent. He died not long after, leaving the rule to Judas, the eldest of his sons.

Judas, fearing Antiochus—for he did not believe he would remain quiet—gathered the local forces; and being the first to send envoys to Rome, he made peace and an alliance with their commanders. He also, on account of his remarkable piety, purified the Temple and installed new vessels for the sacrifice. Following these events, Antiochus died; and his son, who was also named Antiochus, rose up against the Jews with an infinite host. The battle being joined, he retreated, having left a garrison in the city. ^B Judas, having appeared as the best of men in such battles, and having dispatched many of Antiochus’s men with the sword, was himself later slain, as was his brother John.

The rule of the former then passed to Jonathan, his other brother, who, having further secured the friendship with the Romans and made terms with the son of Antiochus, was staying with him in a friendly manner when he was destroyed by his guardian, Trypho. Simon, his brother, then succeeded to his place; and conducting affairs strenuously, he became an ally to Antiochus, who was campaigning against Trypho, who had risen up against him. Having helped to finish off Trypho, he later realized that he held no friendly intentions toward him; for having sent his general, Cendebeus, he ordered him to ravage Judea and bring Simon in as a captive. ^C But Simon, having brilliantly defeated Cendebeus—who was bringing against him an army of ten thousands—freed his own race from the violence and assault of the Macedonian empire after one hundred and seventy years, and was proclaimed high priest.

A little later, this Simon too was killed during a banquet by his son-in-law, Ptolemy. And this Ptolemy, having imprisoned his wife and two sons, sent men to kill the third son, John, who was also called Hyrcanus. ^D Yet he, as he was being led away to his death, escaped those who were taking him and made his way into Jerusalem; and having received the paternal high priesthood and offered thanks to God through sacrifices, he rushed with all speed toward Ptolemy, intending to take vengeance for his mother and brothers. But Ptolemy had already killed them, while defending himself against Hyrcanus. Then the young Antiochus, in anger at what he had suffered from Simon, the father of Hyrcanus, marched against Jerusalem a second time. Hyrcanus, however, opened the tomb of David and redeemed the siege with three hundred talents. Later, when he had prospered and encompassed much territory, and his own sons Aristobulus and Antigonus were serving as his commanders, great envy arose against them on the part of the local inhabitants; and having been incited into open war against him, they were defeated.

^B Sedenim, Hyrcanus, who is also called Joannes, after having lived a sufficiently happy life, finished his life leaving behind five sons, having managed the commonwealth most excellently for thirty-three years in total. ^A Then his eldest son, Aristobulus, immediately transformed the administration of affairs into a royal form, and he was the first to put a diadem upon himself, four hundred and seventy-one years and three months after the time when the people, having been delivered from the Babylonian captivity, returned to their own country. This man indeed killed his mother by starvation; and soon afterwards, he also killed one of his brothers whom he had loved very much, Antigonus. But how this happened, it is proper to leave to Josephus to relate. Having ruled for no more than a year, he himself also died. His wife, having released his brothers from their bonds, established as king the one who seemed to be senior in age, Alexander by name; who, having learned that another of his brothers was aspiring to the kingship, killed him; but he allowed the third, who had chosen an inactive life for himself, to live as a private citizen. This Alexander, having engaged in battle with Ptolemy, the son of Cleopatra, who was nicknamed Lathyrus, fought bravely and won the victory; and Ptolemy, having been driven out by his mother, Cleopatra, fled into Egypt. But Alexander, having inflicted many grievous things upon his own countrymen, even to the extent of crucifying eight hundred, was overtaken by quartan fever and ended his life, leaving the kingdom to his wife Salina, who was also ^C called Alexandra. At that same time, the Damascenes brought in Aretas the Parthian against Ptolemy, and established him as king of Coelesyria; and he, having gained the victory over the Jews, retreated from there afterward by agreement. Now Salina had two sons whom she had borne to Alexander. Of these, she honored with the high priesthood the one who was more advanced in years—to whom the name Hyrcanus had been given—who was sluggish and otherwise unsuited for practical affairs; but she commanded the other, Aristobulus, to be a private citizen on account of the vigor of his mind and body. Then, when his mother Alexandra was seriously ill, he seized upon the opportunity and, having gathered the supporters whose devotion he had secured, and amassed very great wealth, he proclaimed himself king. But meanwhile, Alexandra, before she could settle the affairs of her children according to her will, departed this life. ^D When a battle took place, the multitude went over from Hyrcanus to Aristobulus; and Hyrcanus, against his will, withdrew from the sovereignty in favor of his brother, and chose to live a private life. These things having thus taken place, fear entered into many others, but especially into Antipater, who was the father of Herod and was on the closest of terms with Hyrcanus. For he was of Idumean race, leading the nation in wealth and prominence. This man, therefore, having persuaded Hyrcanus, came to Aretas, the king of the Syrians, so that he might secure the kingdom for him with the aid of a force. And he indeed came, and would have restored the sovereignty and the city to Hyrcanus, had not Pompey at that time been engaged against Tigranes in

^A Armenia ^A prevented it. Antipater and Hyrcanus went to him, and persuaded him to disregard Aristobulum, and to unite himself with Hyrcanus, who had been treated with injustice. But then Aristobulus was at once taken prisoner along with his wife and children. Hyrcanus is again established in the sovereignty, after Pompey had sacked the city, had gazed upon the mysteries within the temple, and had commanded that tribute be paid to the Romans. Pompey then went off, taking Aristobulus with him to Rome, and having left his son Alexander, and having allowed Scaurus to manage affairs throughout Coele-Syria. To Pompey, however, Antipater seemed useful, as he brought supplies needed by the Roman army struggling against the Arabs, which was hard-pressed by a scarcity of provisions. In the meantime, however, Alexander, the son of Aristobulus, having escaped from Pompey and gathered a sufficient force, became a heavy burden to Hyrcanus. Being captured by Gabinius, he remained quiet. To Hyrcanus, Gabinius entrusted the care of the temple, but he settled the rest of the commonwealth under the governance of the nobility; and he divided the whole nation into five synods, and the nation, being delivered from the rule of one, was thereafter well administered by an aristocracy. Not long after, Aristobulus also, having escaped from Rome, and having gathered those who were desirous of change, joined in a fierce battle against Hyrcanus. But with the Romans assisting under the command of Gabinius, Aristobulus was defeated and captured; and together with his son Antigonus, he was sent back to Rome. But Hyrcanus and Antipater did not cease to provide money and grain, arms and auxiliaries, to Gabinius, while he was passing the Euphrates toward Egypt. Crassus then succeeded Gabinius, and Cassius succeeded him. The latter, under the counsel of Antipater, killed the seditious supporters of Aristobulus, among whom was Peitholaus. Antipater took a wife from Arabia, Cypros by name; from whom he became the father of four children: Phasael and the king Herod, and furthermore Joseph and Pheroras were their names. By winning over all the powerful men with gifts, and especially because of his marriage connection, he was most closely allied with Aretas, the king of the Arabs. Being in fear of Aristobulus, he used to entrust his children to him for safekeeping. But Caesar, having fled from Pompey out of Rome toward the Ionian Sea, released Aristobulus and sent him to Syria; but he was forestalled, being destroyed by poison by those who were of Pompey’s faction. His corpse, having been placed in honey, was later buried by Antony in the ancestral tombs. Under Scipio, his son Alexander was also put to death by the axe, at the command of Pompey. His daughter and his son Antigonus...

were taken in by Philippion, son of Ptolemy; and, captured by love for the maiden, he joined her to himself in marriage, which became the cause of his death. For her father, this Ptolemy, having entered into a conjugal relationship with Alexandra, murdered his son out of love for her. And subsequently, because of his marriage to her, he kindly extended the affection and duty of a guardian to her brothers.

But in truth, when Caesar, having defeated Pompey, was waging war in Syria and against the son of Mithridates, Antipater brought him aid; ^B in which war he was seen to be excellent in both regards, that is, both in counsel and in readiness of hand. And so both he and Hyrcanus were gifted Roman citizenship by Caesar; nay, Caesar even confirmed the priesthood for Hyrcanus, and appointed Antipater as procurator of all Judaea, rewarding both of them in this way for the help and service they had rendered him. Antipater indeed immediately declared his son Herod, who was in his fifteenth year, to be the governor of Galilee; but he set Phasael over the city of Jerusalem. Herod, therefore, showing the activity of his character from the very beginning, killed Ezechias, the leader of the brigands. ^C But when Julius Caesar had been killed by Cassius and Brutus, Cassius came into Syria, intending to receive the military forces which were then at Apamea. And for Herod, who was collecting tribute for him in the cities of those regions, not the smallest part of the gain was his own; at which time also a certain Malichus, who was the father of Herod, Antipater, was put to death by poison, and he himself was also killed by his son, Herod.

And when Cassius too had been killed by Antony and Augustus Caesar, and Augustus had headed for Italy, while Antony came into Asia, there arrived at Jerusalem ^D before Antony ambassadors accusing Herod and his brother, claiming that the kingship was left to Hyrcanus in name only, while they themselves were ruling over the affairs in Judaea by force. But Herod, having feared this, and having suborned Antony with money, gained the upper hand, with Hyrcanus supporting him, whose granddaughter Mariamme, born of Aristobulus and the woman of Arab descent, Herod took to wife after the death of the latter. Therefore, although many were accusing Herod and his brothers, Antony was so moved by the accusations that, having divided the ancestral power among them, he surrendered it to his brothers into four tetrarchies. The son of Aristobulus, Antigonus, having been staying with Philippion, son of Minnaeus, as has been said, when the latter ended his life and Lysanias had succeeded to his father's authority, persuaded Pacorus and Pharnabazus, on the promise of a thousand talents, to bring back Antigonus and to overthrow Hyrcanus. And he, having set out, immediately drove into Judaea; and they, in a short time, having mastered Hyrcanus and Phasael, surrendered the stewardship of all affairs to Antigonus. But Herod, having resorted to flight, was saved by going to Rome to Caesar; and having been testified to as was fitting before Antony, he was appointed King of Jerusalem by Caesar and the Senate. Thus, when he returned having received an army from Antony—for he had been staying near Syria—he...

^A attacked Antigonus in battle, but was repulsed many times. Later, having brought Sosius to his aid, and after much slaughter had taken place, he took Jerusalem by force. Herod, having preserved the things concerning the temple as inviolable, took Antigonus bound and delivered him to Sosius, who forthwith led him away to Antony.

Herod, however, fearing the nobility of Antigonus—lest if he should reach Rome and lay his claims before the Senate, the Romans might cast him [Herod] aside as a private citizen and a foreigner, and might bestow the kingdom upon him or his children—persuaded Antony with money to do away with Antigonus. And he was immediately put to death by the axe. Hyrcanus, who had also been released from the Parthians, came to Herod; and at first Herod held him in honor, but later, having become suspicious of him, he slew him, as he also did the brother of Mariamme, his own wife. Him, too, he had craftily named high priest because of their kinship, and later, during the summer season, while he was swimming in a bath, he suffocated him. ^B Thus Herod became the sole lord and king of all Judaea; first, when Antony had ratified his authority. But when that man was enthralled by his passion for Cleopatra, and Caesar Augustus, having joined battle with him near Actium, defeated him decisively and was entering Syria, and Antony and Cleopatra had departed from life, Augustus himself again placed the diadem upon Herod, and having proclaimed him king of all Judaea, bestowed upon him much other territory; furthermore, he also entrusted to him the administration of Arabia.

But how Fortune avenged the public prosperity of Herod with sorrows at home, and how he began to suffer evil from his wife, being polluted by domestic and blood-guilt crimes, this is not the time to say. For I have gone through these things wishing to set forth the prophecy which is unadulterated, saying: *A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until he comes for whom it is reserved; and he is the expectation of the nations.* For that those who trace their lineage from Judah had ceased to be rulers, and that Herod, being an Idumaean and a foreigner, had ruled over the Hebrews, has been sufficiently demonstrated; at which time the prophecy was receiving its end, as I shall explain a little later for the sake of clarity. ^C For when Augustus was returning to Rome, and had brought the Roman state under a monarchy—while he was still completing his forty-second year in power—and had sent forth a decree throughout his entire dominion that each should be enrolled in his own city, then it was that our Saviour Jesus Christ was born, most paradoxically. But who it was that gave birth to Him, and the manner of the conception, from this point I shall now declare, covering it as much as is practicable.

CAPUT VII. Of the holy Joachim and Anna, and of the birth and upbringing of the most holy Mother of God in the temple, and how she was betrothed to Joseph.

^A For since that great mystery, which far transcends all nature, was fated to be accomplished and displayed, it was necessary above all to construct and prepare a vessel that could contain Him who is incomprehensible. Thus, the blessed Virgin Mary was found to be a dwelling-place for the Word, worthy and becoming of God, herself consecrated to God even before her birth, and produced, as it were, a fruit given by God from aged limbs—limbs far removed from the natural passions. Joachim and Anna were the names of her parents. Both were distinguished in their careful observance of the life according to the Law, and they were, moreover, numbered among the first and most splendid and noble families. However, they had spent their lives until old age without issue, for Anna was barren and unable to produce children. And because, on account of this sterility, she did not share in the honors accorded by the Law to matrons and mothers, she herself, following the example of the mother of Samuel, became a suppliant to God and frequented the temple diligently, that she might not be excluded from the blessings of the Law, but that it might be granted to her to be a mother, and that she might dedicate the child to be born to Him. And indeed, having been strengthened by the divine will for the grace she had requested, when the child emerged from the maternal womb, she immediately named her Mariam, thus covertly signifying ^B the grace received from God. When the infant had already come to loathe her mother’s milk and would no longer take the breast, the mother fulfilled her promise: and ascending to the temple, in accordance with her vow, she consecrated her to God, as she was now in her third year. The priests, for their part, received the offering, judging that the child should be nurtured in the holy places, after the likeness of the ancient Samuel. ^C Thus, she was something divine within the temple, dwelling in the inner sanctum. But as she grew, the priests gathered and held counsel as to what they should do with that sacred body, so as not to appear to have sinned; for it was considered absolutely forbidden to desecrate the temple, even if they were to hand her over to a husband, and by the law of marriage...^D

she who had once been dedicated to God was to be reduced to servitude. On the other hand, they did not think it permitted by law for a girl in the flower of her youth to wander about in the more sacred parts of the temple, nor did they consider it honest or proper. Therefore, after frequent and deep deliberation, it was divinely revealed to them through inspiration to entrust her, under the name of being a spouse, to one of those who were assiduous about the temple. He, however, had to be a man such as could rightly be entrusted with the protection of her virginity. Indeed, no one else seemed more suitable than Joseph himself for the contracting of this sole union of betrothal, inasmuch as he was related to her by birth (for they were of the same tribe), and furthermore, both by his old age and the honesty of his character, he had long since gained a reputation for trustworthiness. ^B

CHAPTER VIII.

And so, having taken up residence in Nazareth with Joseph, she received the joyful message from the archangel Gabriel, saying, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." And at the same time as the word, the eternal and pre-temporal Word of God descends in an immutable manner, and, in a way ineffable and surpassing nature, he assumes our nature and state, having been united and mingled, beyond human comprehension, with the human lump. And the angel, having fulfilled his greeting and his mission, departed from her. She, however, in haste, set out for the mountainous region, both considering the birth contrary to expectation that had been announced to her by the angel, and hastening to know what had come to pass concerning herself; further, she longed to greet and speak with her kinswoman Elizabeth, who herself, beyond her natural time, was already in the sixth month of carrying John in her womb. Furthermore, she thought that because Elizabeth was of a more advanced age, she would have something new to tell her and to announce regarding the new conception of her fruit. She approaches her, therefore, and greets her. The child in her, already completing the sixth month, leaped sweetly and exulted, and the servant confined in the womb, for the Master who was being carried in the womb, performed the due honor of adoration, and, borrowing the mouth of its mother, he prophesied in a supernatural way, calling her the Mother of the Lord and blessed among women, as well as the fruit of the womb, that which was being borne in her, for of course no male seed had contributed to it. Then she [Elizabeth], encountering those things which were according to the purpose, and acting as a minister to the divine Spirit—entirely devoid of vanity—both glorifies herself and most clearly proclaims what was to come. ^C Since it was customary... ^D

^A for virgins to withdraw when a pregnant woman was nearing her time of labor, Mary stayed with her for three months, and when that immense consternation and wonder had begun to subside, she returned to her own house. Meanwhile, her stomach began to swell, and Joseph, ignorant of the mystery, was intending to do what was less than appropriate for her; he was even meditating on a secret separation, for he was, as it says, a just man, and he did not want to make the matter a public scandal. But the angel who had brought the good news immediately appeared to him while he was thinking these things and resolved the old man’s doubt. For it was necessary that no charge, indignity, or injury should be brought against the most illustrious receptacle and vessel of grace, which was, in truth, more radiant and brilliant than the rays of the sun itself. ^B Furthermore, the angel calls him a son of David, hinting at where the longed-for and expected one was to proceed from, and he also names her his wife, or betrothed, as if to say: "Let no thought disturb you with any deliberation, lest you fear that you are offending God by having an adulterous wife under your roof." For she is so far removed from every sin and stain that this conception in her womb is even above nature. Do not, therefore, fear to take her back again, whom you (as far as it depended on you) had rejected and cast out. Indeed, it is more becoming for you to leap for joy and fill your soul with a gladness and pleasure that excels nature. "For," he says, "that which is born in her is of the Holy Spirit."

CHAPTER IX.

the nation of the Jews was long governed, until Augustus was declared sole sovereign. Under him, Herod, being a foreigner and an alien, received the kingdom of the Jews consigned to him by the Romans, being an Idumean by birth, as Josephus thinks, on his father's side, but an Arab on his mother's; for Antipater, his father, took from Arabia a wife named Cypros, who made him the father of four children, of whom this Herod was one. ^B But according to the opinion of Africanus, who also himself attained great praise in the writing of histories: "Antipater," he writes, "the father of Herod, was the son of a certain Herod of Ascalon, a slave to a certain priest of those ministering around the temple of Apollo. His child, Antipater, while yet an infant, Idumean robbers seized and kept among them; for the father was unable to pay the money to ransom him." And so, being raised among them, he was thought to be an Idumean. Later, having become a friend to Hyrcanus, the high priest of Judea, who was the first of the Jews to put on a diadem, and having shown himself useful in his disputes against his brother Aristobulus, he liberated for him the kingdom which had been encroached upon by his brother. Then, having also become favorable to the Romans in all things, while they were engaged in war against the Egyptians and the Arabs—since Aristobulus had been shamefully sent bound to Rome by Pompey, and the nation of the Jews had been enslaved—this man was fortunate enough to become procurator of Palestine. And when afterwards Hyrcanus was also captured by the Parthians, in whom the final succession of the high priests resided, and Antipater, the father of Herod, who had grown greater from that point on, was treacherously killed by a certain Malichus, this Herod himself, having bestowed a great amount of money upon the Roman generals and having promised to be wholly compliant to their commands, received the kingdom entrusted to him. For when Caesar Augustus, with a great army, descended like a storm and a thunderbolt upon Egypt—his purpose being to subjugate Cleopatra, in whom the Macedonian dynasty of the Ptolemies from Alexander finally ended, and also to war against and capture Antony, who had been ensnared by her charms—this Herod joined him, prepared to supply and provide whatever was pleasing to him: grain, and arms, and an uncounted sum of money, and whatever other aid he was able to offer. ^C When Egypt and Cleopatra also came under the hand of Caesar and the Romans, in the twelfth year of Augustus's reign, this Herod came to Rome; and Augustus, wishing to return him some favor for his services, by the counsel and will of the Roman senate placed a diadem upon him and declared him king of Judea. And when he had gained control of Jerusalem, knowing that the Jews were averse to him as a foreigner, and also that they were, as much as possible, turning away from the harshness and beastly nature of his character, he drove some away, and treated others cruelly, and did away with others by the sword. He also plundered the temple and caused the city to be in an uproar, using his power wickedly. Furthermore, he committed this wicked act in addition to the others: for the public records of all the tribes, which traced back to Ezra, he, being in a maniacal state, made fuel for the fire. The plan, ^D

which he followed in his extreme arrogance, was that those who might pride themselves on such a name should henceforth be ignorant of the origin from which each person drew his lineage, and who were natives and who were inquilini (which is to say, those whom they call advenae and foreigners). ^A Since he reached a judgment that was quite foolish and base regarding matters of this kind, he was also the first to enclose the high priest's more magnificent vestment in a chest and secure it with his signet ring, offering the high priesthood for sale to any random person who wished to buy it for annual tribute, utterly disregarding those of ancient lineage. Josephus records that he, his son Archelaus, and those after him who were entrusted by the Romans with the command of the Jews, acted in this way concerning both the vestment and the priests. ^B Let it not be thought by some that these things have been said by us merely as a digression, casually and outside the scope of our purpose; rather, they are set forth for the demonstration of another prophecy—which attained its fulfillment at the apparition and advent of the Savior—and for the sake of a true observation of the times. For the weeks that are with Daniel bring their number to completion at that time when Christ holds empire; during which, once they are finished, the God-seeing prophet very clearly predicts that the anointing among the Jews would be utterly abolished, a thing which has indeed been fulfilled by the presence of Christ upon the earth.

CHAPTER X. Concerning the census that took place under Augustus Caesar, Cyrenius presiding; and what Josephus writes concerning Cyrenius; and concerning Judas the Galilean.

The year from the foundation of the world was then the five thousand five hundred and fifth, the forty-second of the empire of Augustus, and the twenty-eighth from the dissolution of the Macedonian dominion, when our Savior was born in Bethlehem during the census that was then taking place, with Cyrenius as governor of Syria, just as it had been predicted by prophecy. ^C Accordingly, the edict for the census and description went forth; and, in that serene tranquility of peace which had come about from the rule of one man, it forced everyone, even against their will, to seek their own fatherland and there be registered and enrolled. Along with others, Joseph also, together with the wondrous among women, Mary, went to ^D

^A his own city, Bethlehem, situated within the borders of Judea, (since he drew his lineage from David), leaving behind Nazareth, which he was then inhabiting; for that place was foreign to him, though he had his dwelling there at that time, because the region of Judea, through ^B continuous wars, had passed now under the power of one, now of another. The edict of Caesar compelled Joseph himself to go to his own city, lest anything of that prophetic proclamation should fail: "And thou, Bethlehem, land of Judah, art by no means least among the princes of Judah." [Ps. CXVII, 20] Joseph, that seeker of truth, also remembered this census and description, which was very burdensome to the Jewish nation, in the eighteenth book of his Histories, ^C speaking as follows: "Cyrenius, a man of senatorial rank, after performing other magistracies in order, and having attained all kinds of dignity, even reached the consulate. Being in Syria with a small force, having been sent there by Caesar to judge and administer justice to the people, he also held a census there." And after a few words: "Judas the Gaulanite, originating from the town of Gamala, having taken with him Saddocus the Pharisee, incited the people to sedition and defection, ^D and preached that the census was nothing other than sheer slavery, and exhorted the people to assert their liberty." And in the second book of the Jewish War, he says thus: "Against these, a certain Galilean, Judas by name, incited the locals to rebellion; berating them if they continued to pay tribute to the Romans, and if they endured mortals as lords after God." Luke, too, speaks in agreement with this in the sacred Acts, saying: "After him rose up Judas the Galilean in the days of the enrollment, and drew away much people after him; he also perished, and all who were persuaded by him were dispersed."

CAPUT XI.

Epistle of Julius Africanus the historian to Aristides, concerning the apparent discrepancy in the genealogy of Christ in the divine evangelists Matthew and Luke.

Since the divine evangelists Matthew and Luke have set forth the genealogy of Christ differently, and not a few who have been held in high regard for pursuing such matters have composed entire books regarding this discrepancy, I, setting aside others, will use the historian Africanus as my authority, who, in refuting and rejecting the opinions of others as not having attained the truth, has set forth that which he himself received from the ancients in his Epistle to Aristides concerning the discrepancy of the Gospels; and I shall insert his opinion into this work, translated in his own words. "For the names of the generations in Israel were reckoned and counted either by nature or by law. By nature, indeed, when legitimate and natural children succeeded their own fathers; but by law, when another begat offspring in the name of a brother who had died without children. Since there was not yet a clear hope of resurrection, they imitated the promise that was to come through mortal resurrection, in order that a lasting

^A name of the deceased might remain. Since, therefore, those who are included in this genealogy were some born as legitimate and genuine sons to their fathers, while others were born to some but added to others by their naming, a memory of both has been made—both of those who begat them and of those who were considered to have begotten them. Thus, neither of the Gospels is false, as they recount both nature and law; for the lineages became intertwined with one another—that from Solomon and that from Nathan—through the raising up of children for the childless, through second marriages, and through the raising up of seed; so that justly those same persons were at different times thought to be of different men, by some as the apparent fathers, by others as the existing ones, as both accounts are true, and reach down to Joseph in a complex but precise manner.

In order that what is said may be clear, I will explain the change in the lineages: by counting the generation from David through Solomon, the third from the end, according to Matthew, is found to be Matthan, who also begat Jacob, the father of Joseph. But from Nathan, the son of David, according to Luke, the third from the end is likewise Melchi, whose son is Heli, the father of Joseph. Since, therefore, Joseph is set before us as the goal, we must demonstrate how each one is reported as his father: both Jacob, who brought his lineage from Solomon, and Heli, who brought his ^B from Nathan; and how these two, Jacob and Heli, were brothers in the first place; and, before them, how their fathers, Matthan and Melchi, by taking the same woman in turn, brought forth uterine brothers, the law not forbidding a widow, whether by divorce or by the death of the former husband, to marry another. Thus, from Estha—for this is said to have been the name of the woman—first Matthan, who traced his origin from Solomon, begat Jacob. And when Matthan had died, Melchi, who traced his lineage according to the line of Nathan, by taking the woman who had been left a widow (being of the same tribe, but of a different lineage, as I said before), had a son, Heli.

In this way we will find that Jacob and Heli were of two different lineages, but uterine brothers; of whom one brother, after the other—Heli—had died without child, took his wife and begat of her a third, Joseph, according to nature and reason for himself. On this account it is written: "Jacob begat Joseph," but according to the law he was the son of Heli; for, being the brother of that man, Jacob raised up seed for him. Therefore, the genealogy traced concerning him is not invalid. ^C When the evangelist Matthew counts this genealogy, he says, "Jacob begat Joseph." But Luke, on the contrary, says, "Who was thought to be—for he also adds this—the son of Joseph, of Heli, of Melchi." For it was not possible to express more significantly the matters concerning the generation under the law. And the word "begat," in this method of providing children through what was effectively adoption, he passed over in silence in all other cases, having made the reference toward the end down to Adam, who was of God, through the resolution. ^D

^A Following this, Africanus, detailing the lineage of Herod in order, having received it from the kinsmen and relatives of Christ, sets it forth in this way: “Since the genealogies of the Hebrew families were recorded in the public archives, and those extending even to the proselytes and aliens, up to Achior the Ammonite and Ruth the Moabitess, and those who came out from Egypt mixed with them, Herod, having no kinship with the race of the Israelites, and being conscious of his own obscurity, burned the records of their genealogies, thinking that he would appear noble by birth and illustrious to the common people if no one else could trace his lineage back to the patriarchs or the proselytes, and those called ^B *geiōrai*—the mixed ones. A few of the diligent, however, either by keeping private records themselves, or by holding the names in their memory, or by obtaining them from copies, took pride in them; and the memory of their nobility was preserved. Those who have been called Desposyni—that is, the Lord’s own—men of whom we have spoken, fell into their records because of their bond of kinship with the Savior. Having visited the other parts of the land from the Judean villages of Nazara and Chochaba, they made known this genealogy, drawn as far as they could from the books of the daily records. Whether it stands thus or otherwise, no one, in my opinion, could find a clearer explanation, so long as he is of an impartial mind. Let this be your study, even if it is without witness, because there is nothing better or truer to say. Yet this divine and holy Gospel is in every respect true.” And at the end of the letter mentioned, he adds this: “Matthan, descending from Solomon, begat Jacob. Upon the death of Matthan, Melchi, descending from Nathan, begat Heli from the same woman. Thus, Heli and Jacob are ^C half-brothers, born of one mother. Upon the death of Heli without offspring, Jacob raised up seed to him, having begotten Joseph for himself by nature, but for Heli by the law. Thus, Joseph was the son of both.” These things, then, are from Africanus. It is therefore concluded by extension that Mary was also of that same tribe as he; for by the law of Moses, it is ordained that one tribe shall not mix with other tribes, in order that the inheritance might not be transferred from tribe to tribe; for the legislator decreed that marriages should be contracted from the same clan and the same family.

CHAPTER XII.

And indeed, the decree being urgent, Joseph, together with his betrothed Mary, who was carrying with ease a weight surpassing the nature of the womb, departed to his homeland to be registered.

to his own country, in order that he might be registered there; and before they had arrived at the house, they turned aside into a certain field, which was the field of Salome. ^A The day was the twenty-fifth of the month of December; and at that time, the great mystery of thy ineffable birth, O Word, of thy love for mankind, was accomplished. A humble hut, and a manger constructed for the reception of beasts, had been prepared as a lodging for the King of heaven and earth who was born. Swaddling clothes wrap him round; and because there was no more honorable place in the inn, the Feeder of all is laid in a manger. For it was likely, as very many were flocking together for the census and registration, that there would later be a great scarcity of room for those arriving. And so, in this way, the manger of brute beasts received the Creator of all things, God the Word, laboring under the lack of an inn. There, too, as shepherds were keeping watch over their own flocks by night, a divine brilliance shone around them; and when this spectacle had cast them into fear, they were immediately freed from fear by the angel drawing nearer to them and announcing to the world the joy that was to be, through him who had been born. And to his word, true and divine faith immediately followed; for at the same time, an infinite host of heavenly powers, flying about the little hut, sang the highest praise to the Lord, saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men." ^B In this manner, being dual, the God-man Word displayed the beginning of his first descent to earth through his birth in a way both humble and divine. And to confirm his kinship with the Jews, and as a man, he performed the due rite according to the Law of Moses, as was fitting. And on the eighth day, which was the Lord's day, he is circumcised in Bethlehem, in the house of Joseph, and there receives the name Jesus (furthermore, this signifies salvation), just as the divine Gabriel had decreed this name by an oracle before he was conceived. Then he also awaits the time of purification. And when the days were accomplished, the four times ten days being completed, as he was a male, and the one who had truly and alone opened the womb, he is brought into the temple at Jerusalem by his parents, so that he might offer the sacrifice according to the custom—a pair of turtledoves and two young pigeons—signifying temperance, self-control, and simplicity in all things. ^C There, indeed, was present Simeon, who was moved by the Spirit, and the aged Anna; and he who is carried on the chariot of the Cherubim is received by the aged hands of Simeon, even as he was leaping in his mother's bosom as a small infant; and they beheld the great God of Israel in him, and spoke to him what was fitting, and hinted most clearly at what was to be—that he lies for the fall and the rising of many, and as a sign to be spoken against, and that a sword of grief would pass through the soul of the Virgin—until at length they were released from the bonds of the flesh by him. ^D Now, tradition has it that this was that same Simeon who lived with strictness of virtue and holiness of life, to whom at one time, according to the prophet Isaiah

's oracle, which says: *Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son*, he was pondering on the divine response and doubting the promise. They say that an angel stood by him in his hesitation, with an oracle of this kind: that he would not be released from the bonds of this life before he had confirmed with his own eyes the very thing he had doubted, as it would approach at the doors. For this reason, then, having reached a great old age, when he had seen the Christ of the Lord with his own eyes and had held him in his own arms, he was straightway released and set free from the mass of his flesh.

Chapter XIII. Concerning the star that appeared from the East contrary to all expectation at the birth of Christ; and concerning the gift-bearing Magi; and of Herod’s deception.

Then the parents, having taken the child Jesus, returned home to Nazareth. ^B For it was natural that, after the forty days—the Bethlehemite requirement of registration and census having been duly performed in that place—they should return to their own domicile in Nazareth because of the substance and possessions they had there at that time. For they were living in both places, so as to have some livelihood, as one may conjecture, from either. And indeed, two years having passed since that seedless conception, while the Mother of God was staying in the house in Bethlehem, or rather (as others report) two years before the divine birth, having left their homeland, the Persian Magi set out on their way; and the journey having been completed, while Christ was still lying in the manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes, and the Mother of God was still in the lodging or cave, ^C they arrived in Bethlehem—which is indeed more certain. Now these men were wise and distinguished by the nobility of their lineage and by their wealth. For they had observed a star in their own region, not one of those that have been fixed in the firmament of heaven from the beginning of things, nor one of those that through some portent and, as it were, enigma, announce the successions of kings, which, according to the variety of their forms, they name "pud-like," "bearded," "beams," "darts," and "hairy" or comets. ^D The origin of all of these, according to those clever in such researches, comes from vapors exhaled above the air, which are ignited once diffused around the ethereal and celestial expanse. It was not, therefore, a star of that kind which they beheld, but a strange and unusual one, near the earth and exceedingly bright, similar to the stars in the heavens, but visible only to those who had studied such things; and this not for a short time, but rising already before

two years, and not two years after the birth, that is to say, at the very time Christ was born. Being at a loss because of the strangeness of the sight, and having spent much time in investigations concerning it, they had at the same time the ancient Balaam, who had prophesied of this which was to come; and perhaps they were also being quietly initiated into the mysteries of the birth of the Word of God—a birth which transcends all reason—by the priests ^B whom they held in veneration and admiration, though God was more than this stirring their souls toward it. When, therefore, by the providence of the King of all, Christ, who had been born, they perceived the star as if it were a living and intelligent power moving from Persia toward Judea, they used it as a guide, and putting everything else aside, they followed behind it. Having come very close to Judea, near Jerusalem, so that, as I suspect, the paradox of the birth might become manifest and famous, the guiding star suddenly disappeared. Being perplexed and inquiring about the birth of the King who had been born—"For we have come from the East," they said, "to offer him the fitting worship"—the whole city was filled with commotion, ^C and especially Herod the king, who at that time held the rule of the city. For he feared for his rule and was in great agony, suspecting his own overthrow. Therefore he summoned to himself those of the Jews who were allotted to serve as priests, and he inquired of them accurately, detail by detail, where the Christ was to be born according to the prophets. They pointed to Bethlehem of Judea. And the prophet Micah was brought forward as a witness, confirming the credibility of their words, at the same time glorifying Bethlehem and prophesying that the leader of Israel would come forth from there. He secretly and diligently inquired with private interviews the time when that strange star had appeared, and having communicated with the Magi in secret, he ordered them to go and search for the one who had been born, and once they had found him, to return to him, so that he might ^D send them away home with magnificent provisions, and then he himself also, having set out, would pay due honor to the newborn King. They, therefore, deceived by the insidious words of Herod, departed from Jerusalem, and again they encountered the star, their guide, which, being their leader from the East, had hidden itself as they entered Judea; and being exceedingly glad, they followed its leadership again, filled with unspeakable joy. And when the star arrived and stood over the house in which the mother and her most ancient son were, and, as if having been fixed, it remained motionless, thinking rightly that the object of their search was hidden somewhere there, they stopped from going further. And when they had entered the house, they saw the child and his mother and worshipped them, though they were living in a lowly and poor hut, and everything showed no small extremity of poverty. Indeed

^A even beyond His years, the child, as if understanding and receiving such a greeting and worship from the Magi, accepted the adoration. And furthermore, the gifts which He received declared Him to be both God and King; for this was their intention: the gold signified the King, the incense the God, while the myrrh prefigured the death He would undergo for my sake.

Having then sufficiently adored Him, kissed Him with great reverence, and honored Him as the Son of God and King of all, they decided that they ought to spend the night in that lodging, as if studiously seeking a familiar intimacy with Him, and wishing, as was fitting, to obtain something exceptional from Him. But that very night, the angel who had been the guide of their journey warned them by an oracle to flee the encounter with the envious Herod. It came to pass, therefore, that they returned to their own regions by another road—this, so that the teachers and heralds of such an event might come as quickly as possible to the land of the Persians, and furthermore, that ^B the tyrant’s fury might be impeded, and he might understand that he was attempting the impossible.

CHAPTER XIV. Concerning the flight of the Savior into Egypt, and how Herod slew the infants in Bethlehem; and concerning the Forerunner John, and the teaching of the Savior in the Temple when He was twelve years old.

At the same time as the departure of the Magi, Joseph was warned in a dream to make no delay, but rather to take the mother and the child and flee with them to Egypt, thus avoiding the slaughter of the tyrant; and that there he should have his abode, until he who was seeking the soul of the child should himself breathe out his own soul. Joseph therefore did this, and spent three years in exile in Egypt. Not long after, when Herod had brought his life to a shameful end, Joseph was again warned by a divine response, and with the mother and the child—born beyond the order of nature—returned to his own fatherland. ^C Herod, however, having failed in his purpose, and being vengefully incensed against the Magi who had mocked him, and furthermore stirred by the fear of losing his throne, poured out all his wrath against the children who had done him no wrong. Rising up against all human nature, he decreed that all the children in Bethlehem from two years old and under should be slain, thinking in that common slaughter of the innocent to destroy also the one he envied. He caused all to mourn (O the hardness of heart!), so that...

he alone might be relieved of all fear. ^A He had accurately noted the rising of the star, since the Magi had said that it was seen by them in Persia two years before. Taking a conjecture from this, and being outside of all feeling and affection, he slaughtered the infants—a deed which surely no one would commit even against inanimate objects. For one who sees tender sprouts, out of pity for their being cut down, would surely refrain from plucking them—or, as one might say, would not proceed to pluck those which could not yet be grasped. Moreover, Jeremiah saw and foretold this slaughter of infants many ages before, introducing Rachel weeping for her children and admitting no consolation at all, because of the enormity of the tragic crime. Yet God, although he could easily have restrained it, nonetheless, by an ineffable reason and counsel, allowed it in His goodness.

The Savior, as has been said, was in exile in Egypt. But John, the son of Zechariah, in whose birth the father's voice was loosed—having previously written the name "John" on a tablet—was two and a half years old, and was being kept safe with his mother Elizabeth ^B in a certain cave in the hill country, perhaps escaping the blood-stained hand of Herod. From there, accustomed to dwelling in lonely places, and using an angel as his guide, he withdrew into the deeper recesses of the woods. There he used the more tender tips of trees ^C and foliage for food, was covered by camel's hair, and wore a leather belt, until, coming forth from there, he showed himself to Israel, preaching repentance with a clear and effective voice, and leading men by the hand, as it were, to Christ through baptism.

But Jesus grew in wisdom and grace, in such a way that these qualities shone forth more and more little by little, though they did not receive any increment. When He had attained His twelfth year, He went up with His mother and Joseph to Jerusalem, intending to celebrate the feast of the Passover. And when the days of the feast were over, they returned; but Jesus, having remained behind secretly, spent His time in the Temple. And they, thinking the child had gone on with the company, started for home; but He was hidden from them for three whole days. After they had labored much, He became visible to them, sitting in the Temple, ^D disputing with the doctors of the law, and He was a wonder to those whom He questioned, digging into the depths of Scripture and becoming the discoverer of new questions. To Him, His mother, moved by the affection with which she uniquely cherished Him, said: "Why, child, have You done this to us, causing pain to Your parents?" And she also made mention of His supposed father. But He, gently pointing out His truly genuine Father, said that it behooved Him to linger in the things of the Father and to choose to tarry in His house. For what is there on earth better for Him than the Temple? And He returned, waiting for the perfect time of maturity, rendering what is due to His parents and demonstrating the proper submission toward them, excelling in godly virtues and in all works that were supernaturally good; yet He did nothing miraculous until His thirtieth year was already coming to a close. But concerning these things, so be it.

CHAPTER XV

Herod, reaping the fruits of his own madness, was afflicted in his whole body by a divinely-sent scourge and perished miserably. His kingdom was afterwards divided into four parts, for he left behind four sons. Archelaus was established as the ruler of Judea; Galilee was assigned to Herod; Philip obtained the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis; and to the fourth, Lysanias, fell Abilene. Now, it is worthwhile to relate how divine justice pursued this fighter against God after his unjust murder, displaying as it were a preamble to the evils that were to come there. As for his domestic calamities, and the blood-stained events and impious murders that befell him by his wife, children, and kin—which surpass in tragedy all the plots of any drama—since the truth-loving Josephus has clearly recounted them in his history of the Jewish affairs of his time, I do not think this is the proper time to narrate them now. But how this man, who had dared to fight against God, was struck by a divinely-sent scourge and departed from among men—it is absolutely just to hear the words of the historian himself, who in the seventeenth book of his Antiquities describes the end of his life in this way: ^B «Herod's disease grew greater and greater, as God was exacting punishment and retribution for his crimes and impieties. For there was a slow fire, not indicating much inflammation to those who touched him, but causing a cruel distress within. There was a terrible desire for food, which he could by no means satisfy; and an ulceration of the intestines, and especially intense and sharp pains in the colon. Also a moist and transparent inflammation in the feet. A similar affliction was in the loins. Moreover, there was a putrefaction of the genitals that produced worms. There was an upright tension of the breath, which was very unpleasant because of the distress and the density of the asthma; and a spasm throughout every limb, adding an insufferable strength to it. ^C It was said by those who were inspired by God, and by those whose wisdom made it their business to predict such things, that God was exacting from the king the penalty for his many acts of impiety.»

These things are noted by Josephus in the aforementioned writing. But he further narrates similar things in the second book of his history Of the Capture, writing as follows: «From there, the disease took hold of his whole body and it was divided into various afflictions. ^D There was fever...

not very intense, but an intolerable itching of the entire surface of the body; continuous pains in the colon; and swellings on the feet like a dropsical person. There was also inflammation of the lower abdomen, and putrefaction of the privy parts generating ^A worms. To these were added an upright, arduous, difficult, and heavy breathing, and convulsions of all the limbs, so that those who interpreted divine omens said that these diseases were a punishment for his crimes. He, however, though struggling with so many and such great evils, nevertheless endeavored to retain his life; and hoping for safety, he turned his mind to medical treatment. Thus, having crossed the Jordan, he used the hot springs at Callirrhoe, which flow into the Asphaltitis Lake, and because of their sweetness are fit for drinking. There, when it seemed good to his physicians to warm his whole body with hot oil, he was let down into a tub full of oil, and he became so relaxed that even his eyes rolled as though he were dead. But since ^B a tumult was being raised by his servants, at their shouting he returned to himself; and thereafter, despairing of safety, he ordered fifty drachmas per man to be distributed to the soldiers, and much money to be given to his commanders and friends. But he himself, returning, arrived at Jericho, already seized by madness and threatening death itself no less than anyone else. Here, he added an unspeakable crime to his earlier vices. For he summoned the distinguished and principal men from every village of all Judaea, and ordered them to be shut up in the place called the Hippodrome. Then, ^C summoning his sister Salome and her husband Alexas, he said, “I know that the Jews will celebrate my death with joy. But I can be mourned by others and have a splendid funeral, if you are willing to be obedient to my orders and words. These men who are imprisoned, as soon as I have breathed my last, kill them with all speed, having surrounded them with soldiers, so that all Judaea and every family may weep for me at my funeral.” And after a few words the same historian says: “Again, however, when he was being held by famine and a convulsive cough, impatient of his pains, he determined to forestall his fated death, and ^D having taken an apple, he also asked for a knife; for he was accustomed to use it to clean anything he ate. Then he looked around to see if anyone was present who might stop him, and he raised his right hand as if he were about to strike himself.” Furthermore, the same Josephus recorded that, having ordered his third legitimate, native son—he who had previously caused two others to be put to death—to be killed shortly before the end of his own life, he immediately thereafter finished his own life with great pain and torment.

^A

CHAPTER XVI. Of the tetrarchy of the sons of Herod; and how, when Archelaus was removed by Caesar from the tetrarchy of Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate became his successor in that tetrarchy in the twelfth year of the reign of Tiberius.

Such, then, was the end of Herod’s life, as he paid a just penalty for the plots he had laid against the Savior, on account of which he also cruelly mowed down the youth in Bethlehem. Archelaus, his son, succeeded him—a fact which the evangelist also mentions when he says: "But when he heard that Archelaus reigned in the place of his father Herod, Joseph was afraid" (Matt. 2:22). For since his death had occurred but a short time before, the kingdom had not yet been divided into many territories. The writer whom we mentioned before agrees with this account, saying, ^B by the will of his father Herod and the judgment of Caesar Augustus, that Archelaus inherited the kingdom of the Jews, while each of his brothers received a third part of the paternal dominion. And each of them administered their own tetrarchies; but Archelaus, after nine years of rule, was deposed and had Pontius Pilate as his successor in his tetrarchy in the twelfth year of the reign of Tiberius. The same writer also indicates this, saying: "In the twelfth year of the reign of Tiberius, Pilate was appointed procurator of Judea, being a friend and acquaintance of his in the highest degree. And he remained in the administration for ten full years, almost until the death of Tiberius himself." From this it is easy to conclude that the records circulated against our Savior are a fabrication, ^C as they were produced a long time afterwards; and the time itself stands as proof of the lie before anything else. For those acts and monuments refer the saving passion and death that were rashly brought upon Christ to the seventh year of the reign of Tiberius; at which time Pilate did not yet preside over Judea, as Josephus himself writes, clearly asserting that he did not become prefect of Judea until the twelfth year. And so much for these matters.

CHAPTER XVII. Of the death of Emperor Augustus and the events that occurred under him; of his successor, Tiberius, who took up his reign; and a partial account of the matters under him.

^D Caesar Augustus, having become great through very many noble and fortunate deeds, and having been the first to be proclaimed monarch, being already advanced in age, went to the oracle of Pythian Apollo. And having offered to the demon the greatest of all sacrifices, which is called a hecatomb, he inquired who would manage the Roman empire after him? But when no answer came from there, he brought a second sacrifice, and asked again, that

he who was accustomed to use many words should now at last answer in this manner:

Me, a Hebrew lad, the God who rules the gods ^A Commands to leave this house and go back to Hades; Depart, therefore, in silence from our altars.

The response of the Oracle

When Caesar had received this reply, he returned to Rome, and there, upon the Capitol, he built a very great altar, upon which he inscribed in Latin characters this inscription: "This is the altar of the first-born God." While he was governing the empire, the Athenians were the first to attempt sedition and rebellion. But having soon paid the penalty for the movement they had stirred up, they desisted from their undertaking. He himself, having conducted a census of the Roman citizens, found the number to be thirteen myriad and twenty-seven thousand. Now, he had been sole ruler for forty-three years—or, as others hold, forty-eight—and having extended the course of his whole life beyond seventy-five years, he was finally oppressed by a disease, and ceased to be among men. ^B At which time it is recorded that an eclipse of the sun occurred, and also a very great famine, such that one medimnus of grain was bought for many denarii. When he had thus ended his life, Tiberius, his stepson, took up the Roman empire. Under whom it is recorded that fourteen cities of Asia Minor collapsed in an earthquake: their names are Ephesus, Magnesia, Sardis, Mosthene, Hierocaesarea, Philadelphia, Tmolus, Cymes, Myrina, Cymae, Apollonia, Hyrcania, Dia, and Cibyra. Tiberius, having advanced with very great forces against the Persians, gave way to their embassies, resolved the war, and compelled them to pay tribute. And they indeed did what was commanded. He himself, returning from that expedition, turned aside to Antioch; and intending to adorn it more splendidly and magnificently, he encircled it with a firm and impregnable wall, raised porticoes, ^C and adorned it with bronze columns, statues, and other various buildings. He also built temples to Jupiter, Dionysius, and the Dioscuri; and they say he completed very many other wondrous works there. A work of his hand is also the famous city of Tiberias in Judea, and another which had the name Tiberia in Thrace. Having driven out those who exercised tyranny over the Cappadocians after Archelaus, he made it tributary to the Romans. Furthermore, he wrote to the governors and magistrates of the cities, that if by chance he were to order anything contrary to the laws, they should not approve and execute it, as having been committed through ignorance. He also had the custom of not easily or quickly changing the magistrates and prefects, or of stripping of their office those who had been allotted the governance of public affairs. And to some who inquired of him the reason for this, he was accustomed to answer, saying that by nature ^D it is of rulers to be covetous,

and to expend the greatest effort in increasing their wealth more and more. But if they remain longer in office, they become less eager to make gain; just as flies, if they sit for a long time on the sores of bodies, are less troublesome and grievous, because they are filled to satiation with the pus of the sores; but he who is covered with sores would be more grievously afflicted if, once the sated ones were driven off, he were to allow other famished ones to approach his wounds. ^B He also, as I have said, sent Pontius Pilate as governor—not king—to Judea in place of Archelaus, the son of Herod, in the twelfth year of his reign.

CAPUT XVIII. Regarding the heralding and doctrine of John the Baptist, and the baptism of Christ; moreover, regarding the testimony of John.

Verily, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, and the third year of Pilate’s governorship of Judea, with the three tetrarchs—namely, Herod the younger, Philip, and Lysanias—ruling their respective territories (being brothers of Archelaus, but sons of the first Herod), and with Annas and Caiaphas administering the high priesthood in their respective turns, according to the divinely inspired evangelist, the word of the Lord came upon John, the son of Zacharias, who had already lived for thirty years and a little more in the wilderness, charging him to preach the baptism of repentance unto Judea. ^C And John was present; a man indeed in appearance, but divine and altogether most magnificent in his very mind and soul; and as one might say, an angel having assumed a body, entirely and sincerely devoted to God alone, ^D with pure morals, and most alien to all worldly vanity. He had no possessions, nor any sustenance; but his sanctity and the innocence of his life, his mind subject to no passions, and his spirit adorned with simplicity, were all he had. And he led no man or company accompanying him; but he was surrounded on all sides by every kind of virtue, as though he were a king conspicuous amidst a great retinue. And so he stood, opening his divinely-inspired mouth to all, proposing to each one teaching that was appropriate and divinely infused, ^D pouring forth speech sweeter than honey from his lips. For to the rich and opulent, he commended alms and mercy; to men of princely rank and magistrates, he proposed equal laws of justice; to publicans and tax-collectors, he enjoined gentleness and clemency, that they should be neither grievous nor troublesome, nor seek anything beyond what was appointed; and those doing military service and following the profession of arms, he exhorted not to bully their neighbors, nor to circumvent them by craft or evil guile through sycophancy, but that each of them should be content with his own pay. Moreover, to the young he introduced self-control against the passions; to the old and simply to all who had understanding, he instilled wisdom and led them toward true knowledge of God; and finally, he clearly showed and established it, so that all might know clearly that he himself had been sent ahead of the Savior Christ, who was already coming, and had come beforehand to prepare the ways for him through repentance and water baptism; and that he was, as it were, already present, baptizing with fire and the Holy Spirit, and separating the wheat from those who had chosen a chaff-like life. Thus the forerunner of the

Word, the voice, admitted those who approached to the Jordan streams, preceded by the confession of their errors, and purifying them with preparatory cleansings by water, most safely stored them up for Him who was to come after him. Immediately, therefore, even Jesus himself, who was expected, having come from Galilee like one of the crowd, approaches to receive baptism: perhaps, on the one hand, that He might sanctify the water by His touch and bless it, but in reality, at the same time, also to sanctify the Baptist himself, ^A touching his divine-ruled head, and bestowing from Himself the Spirit upon those who received the water in faith; and bestowing faith, as the teaching of John's baptism was a commandment of God, given from above for righteousness to those who approached. Thus, therefore, He is baptized by the hand of one born of earth, and He who is by nature unapproachable and alone pure, is washed by the waters, cleansing me from sin. And indeed, as a reward worthy of His transcendent humility, He received as a transcendent gift the opening of the gates of heaven to Him as He ascended from the water, and the Holy Spirit coming upon Him in the form of a dove, and remaining bodily upon Him forever. It occurred both because of the purity of the bird, and also because a dove long ago once announced the end of the flood with a joyful message; and now it also drew with it, toward Him who was being testified to from heaven by the sound of thunder, the voice of the Father, ^B sounding forth clearly and distinctly. It testified to Him as this beloved Son, since He is the only-begotten, and that the will of Him is in this One, and that all the good pleasure and blessing is His. John, therefore, having been testified to as greater than all by the Truth Itself, having fulfilled the ministry of baptism most excellently and as was fitting, and having decorously betrothed to Christ the Bridegroom the Church—the bride—and having clearly manifested to all Christ as the Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world by His own impassive body, proclaimed ^C and confirmed Him not only to Andrew and Peter, and to all who were conversing with Him at that time, but to the whole world, and to all generations of men thereafter, as Son of God and God the Word, coming down from above for the salvation of all, and as the giver of the Spirit, and as the beginning and source of adoption for those who believe in Him; he, the most God-seeing, announced this. And he indeed professed himself to be His friend, on account of His transcendent love for mankind; but he was not able, on account of natural infirmity, to find even the slightest and smallest explanation of the reasons for His economy. This he preached clearly and eloquently to all, and strove to persuade them. ^D

^A

CHAPTER XIX. How John rebuked Herod to his face concerning Herodias; and how he was beheaded at the banquet, and went forth to preach to those in Hades.

Since it was fitting that, just as John had preached the bodily presence of Christ to those living in the body—that his work and office might be complete in every respect—he should also journey to Hades, and there too announce to the souls bound within it the salvation and liberation that would presently [come] through faith; for this very reason he stood as a rebuke to Herod. Herod had spurned his own wife (she was the daughter of Aretas, king of the Arabs), and having sent away his love for her, he preferred a vain and foolish passion for Herodias to all things. For he had taken her, though she was the wife of his brother Philip, contrary to the ordinance of the law; for she had offspring by that brother, and that, too, while he was still living, as Josephus believes. For it is permitted only to those who depart this life without having sired children to do this [i.e., contract a levirate marriage], by the providence of God in any case, so that seed might be raised up for the brothers. John did not cease to rebuke this illegality. Herod, although he had previously listened to him gladly, and even knew the great man to be possessed of dignity, nevertheless, overcome by a stronger passion—the love of Herodias—disregarded his words. ^B And while he committed him to prison, John, knowing that he would soon depart from this life, sent two of his disciples to Jesus, to dispel the opinion they held concerning him; for they thought John was much greater than Christ. But He, answering nothing to their question, told them to report back to John the miracles which He was performing by His own power. And when they were confirmed in the truer opinion, Christ, wishing to reveal the truth to those standing by, extolled John with praises, testifying to the greatest dignity in him, and declaring him to be greater than those born of women and more excellent than a prophet. Then, removing the suspicion of flattery, He called Himself, according to their opinion, the lesser, but John in turn the greater in the kingdom of heaven. After this, Herod gave a banquet for his birthday. ^C And the drinking proceeded, and there were amusements of the most abundant sort. In addition to these, the daughter of the adulteress was introduced, flaunting unseemly writhings and dances; and this, though she was thought to be a virgin and was a king’s daughter, in the sight of so many men—a spectacle not only entirely displeasing to modest and chaste eyes, but worthy of flight. But the tree is known by its fruit. Such were the enticements of that impure dance that, although she did not ask for it, Herod nevertheless (oh, that royal munificence!) desired to share his kingdom with her, and encouraged her to ask; and she—that offspring of a viper—led on by her mother, asked for something much greater, a thing surpassing all kingdoms: the head of John, worthy of all honor. And he, who [seemed] seemingly...

bound by the religious obligation of an oath, but in reality consumed by sharp desire for Herodias, whom he wished to satisfy, immediately severed the head of John with a sword. ^A And, still stained with corrupt blood and dust, he ordered it to be brought upon a platter into a banquet overflowing with every sort of luxury: a spectacle indeed unpleasant and sad for the guests themselves, but pleasing and delightful to the mother of the girl. For she had greatly desired and sought to see that head, which restrained her from using things as she pleased and according to her own lust, thus severed; and to gaze upon that tongue, sharpened by zeal and holy emulation as if by a whetstone, now at last silent. And so in this way he was killed; and his most excellent head, the prize for a soft dance, was given to that maenad and raging woman as a most honorable gift. But she, fearing the reproof of John in some way even after the resection of his head, and fearing that it might be joined again to the rest of the body, directed that it be buried secretly, with witnesses removed, in a more secluded place in the palace; but she ordered that the trunk itself be cast away somewhere ^B. His disciples, however, having secretly taken up the body alone, buried it with solemn veneration in a certain well-known place. Jesus, indeed, when he had heard what had happened to John, conceived great sorrow for him; and having boarded a ship, he passed time in desert places, soothing his grief with the tranquility of a solitary life. John, therefore, besides other magnificent qualities in which he excelled, having also been honored by martyrdom for the name of Christ, attained the dwelling of the heavens, to which he was worthy, having completed his ministry on earth in thirty-two years and in addition six months.

CHAPTER XX.

Concerning the most shameful death of the daughter of Herodias, and the death of Herod; and what Josephus relates concerning him; and how he also honors the Baptist with praises.

That raging and adulterous, and indeed incestuous woman, who was held to be the wife of Herod, but in truth was the wife of Philip, having lived a long life, when she had first seen her daughter and dancer taken away by a bitter fate, then she herself also departed, reserved for the judgment and punishment of the future age, destined there to drink, as quickly as possible, the pure dregs of divine wrath and the cup of the intolerable indignation of the Lord. But the death of her daughter (for it is worthy to be committed to memory) was of such a kind: It was necessary for her to travel in some place during the winter season, and a river had to be crossed; since it was bound fast and frozen with ice, she was crossing it on foot. ^D But when the ice broke—and this was certainly not without the divine will—she was immediately submerged up to her head; and she danced with her lower body, behaving lasciviously and moving softly, not on land but in the waters; the wicked head, however, congealed by the cold and ice, and then also wounded, and severed from the rest of the body, not by iron but by the crusts of the ice, in the ice

it displayed the lethal dance; and this spectacle, being provided for all, recalled to the memory of those beholding it the things she had done. ^A Divine justice, moreover, though accustomed for the most part to be slow and lingering, pursued Herod himself not long after, because it was, I suppose, especially indignant at the excess of such a nefarious crime. For because Herod was entirely alienated in his heart from his own wife on account of his vehement and intense love for the adulteress, he drove her from his house. She, however, not bearing such a disgrace, betook herself to her own father (we have already mentioned above that he was Aretas, king of the Arabs), and reporting to him in detail this most insolent contempt and everything else, she sought vengeance for a matter that was unbearable for a woman. He, judging the insult to be no less his own than his daughter’s, having gathered together all his forces, made war upon Herod, and having utterly destroyed his army, and having surrendered his whole land to fire—and taking captives—and having accomplished everything entirely to his own mind, he returned to his own territories.

These things ^B are testified to not only by the book of the holy Gospels, but also by the truth-loving Josephus, who makes mention of Herodias, how Herod, while his brother was still alive, alienated his wife from him through his own machinations, and joined her to himself, and took her into marriage and his house; but the one who had been wed to him by law, the daughter of Aretas, king of the Petraeans, he repudiated. And because of the adulteress, having slain John, he brought on a war with Aretas, as if she had provided a pretext for arms because the daughter had been branded with ignominy; in which war he records that the entire army of Herod was destroyed, and that he suffered these things on account of the most irrational slaughter of John. He bears witness that John was most just, ^C and he makes mention of his baptism, agreeing in every particular with the Gospel regarding the things about him. He records also that on account of Herodias, Herod fell from his kingdom, and with her was condemned to exile; and Vienne was his place of banishment: a city which is a neighbor to Gaul, situated toward the west.

Indeed, in the eighteenth book of the Antiquities, he says these very things about John: “To some of the Jews it seemed that the army of Herod was destroyed by God, and that it was being very justly punished, in retribution for John who was called the Baptist. For Herod kills this man, who was a good man, and who was exhorting the Jews to practice virtue, and to exercise justice toward one another, and piety toward God, and to come together for baptism. For he taught that their baptism would be acceptable to God, if they did not merely use it to deprecate certain sins, but ^D rather for the purity of the body, provided that the soul had also been previously purified by the cultivation of justice, and [they] exercised themselves in all other virtues. For they were greatly stirred by his discourse.” Herod, fearing that the extent of his persuasiveness toward men might lead to some rebellion,

^A regarding the matter as one likely to end in defection (for all things seemed to be done by the counsel of John, as the Jews were about to follow him), thought it much better, before anything new could be attempted by him, to seize the man and remove him from the midst, rather than to be led to repentance only after a change of affairs had occurred, in the very midst of tumult and danger. Therefore, on account of this suspicion of Herod, he is cast into prison at Macharus, and is there put to death. These are the words of Josephus.

CHAPTER XXI. Regarding the temptation of the Savior, and the election of the twelve and the seventy disciples, and the preaching of the Gospel.

^A his brother and they who had formerly possessed the ship, abandoning them, joined themselves to Him. Then James and John, Zebedee's offspring, whom He named sons of thunder, doing the same as the others and leaving their father and their ship, followed Him. After them, Philip of Bethsaida, having his home near to Andrew and Peter, having followed these, is commanded to be a disciple. Subsequently, Thomas, who is also called Didymus, and seventhly Bartholomew, accompanied Him; likewise Matthew, from the tax office. In addition to these, Simon the Canaanite, and James the son of Alphaeus; among whom [was] also Judas, brother of James, who was surnamed the brother of the Lord—both of them, however, were children of Joseph, the betrothed. Last and twelfth was Judas, who is also called Iscariot. And again, He chose other seventy, whom He sent two by two before His face into every city and region, where He Himself was later to go. Having taken these twelve ^B and the seventy into a closer fellowship, and having chosen them for Himself, the Lord used them as faithful ministers and fellow-workers of the Gospel; and He communicated to them, by degrees, the secret and divinatory mysteries, advancing them toward perfection; and treating them as His own children, He traversed every city and region. And first, indeed, He went around the nation which seemed to be His own, Israel; for it was fitting that He who was beginning to do good should lay the foundations of kindness first among His own people, and then, in turn, receive those who were further off into the overflowing and redundant grace.

Chapter XXII. What is the goal of the evangelical teaching of the commandments, and what is the power of the parables; that by action and contemplation we are led to the divine and perfect love, becoming godlike and coheirs of Christ.

^C His beneficence, moreover, being observed in all things, in words and in works—in words, the all-wise Word of God exercised His disciples accurately in the wisdom of exceeding excellence and in sound understanding, and in the supernatural laws of the Spirit of life, leading them toward the contemplation and understanding of God; and furthermore, toward action that is godlike, and toward divine imitation, little by little applying the colors of virtue to them. But by the works of wonders and extraordinary signs, He confirmed the height of the God-taught knowledge, leading them to assent and belief in the truth being proclaimed; and through faith, bringing them together in the hope of perfection, and holding them fast through both, He led them up to the supreme and highest of virtues, namely, the love of God. And so, having trained His own hearers and spectators in this manner, both by works and by words, as was to be expected, and having perfected them through faith, ^D and having set them before the whole world, He instructs every upright soul through their teaching and makes it His own, and, as far as it is possible, makes it divine.

it happens, and it instructs the upright soul through all their teaching, joins it familiarly to itself, and, as far as it is possible, deifies it and deems it worthy of justice. The quaternion of the disciples and the same evangelists of Christ represents a discourse of the evangelical doctrine that is truly more accurate and precise, and one that explains the magnificent commemoration of the miracles of Christ, and each one individually. ^A It seems right to me to pursue these things again, and I do not think it necessary to touch upon them—not as if they were of the present design or purpose—in a lengthy manner, but only briefly; just as in every art and discipline it is necessary to know its end and utility, if indeed one wishes to apply oneself to learning not idly and as if doing something else. Just as therefore in other things, so in this study too, it is fitting for those who have decided to lead their lives according to the prescription of the Gospel to know its end first, namely, what utility follows those who aspire through it to attain perfection. Therefore, just as that end is proposed to every teacher, that he may make the disciple as similar to himself as possible through the communication of the discipline: likewise, it is established for the preceptor Christ Jesus, who is truly supremely good, to conform to himself, as much as human condition and frailty permit, each one who approaches him through the Gospel, and thus to present those so conformed as sons to his Father, and to constitute them heirs of God, and indeed co-heirs through that adoption which came by grace, of his only-begotten and first-born Jesus Christ. ^B Hence, one must also lead and contemplate the individual commandments toward such a great and supernatural goal of the Gospel, and toward the reward of such a great adoption; as some of them, regulating and purifying the rational faculty, push far away all ignorance and folly; and as much as they cast off and drive away vanity from the thoughts, they reasonably introduce in their place God-loving knowledge and prudence; others of the commandments order the spirited faculty, and rein in the unruly, removing all anger, clamor, and blasphemy, by diminishing or abolishing them; and they perfect all gentleness and kindness in the courage of the soul. ^C Others, when strictly observed, settle the appetitive faculty, withering and causing to disappear fornication and every other impurity, and simply to speak, every passion of the heart; and they introduce purity, temperance, and impassibility, and, as it were, the cleanliness and dignity of all defilement of flesh and spirit; others tutor the other senses, and regulate the tongue. And all of them, when well and properly worked or perfected by the Spirit with discernment, make their practitioners active; good and just, kind and at the same time gentle, merciful and God-loving; and to speak generally, they prepare them to turn away from all injustice and lawlessness from the heart to the end; and to practice all justice and virtue according to the proportion of the likeness to the teacher; as from there, having reached the disposition of the heart, or the habit of the good, and maintaining it as much as possible, they are no longer able to sin, having been fashioned into perfection, as far as the power is present to man; just as the leader and teacher of the most beautiful things is to them. ^D And to those thus perfected through the commandments

ἐντολῶν ^A πρακτικῆς γνώσεως, ἐξ ἑτοίμου εἶναι αὐτοῖς διὰ τῆς πρακτικῆς καὶ τὴν τῆς θεωρίας ἐπιβατιν. Καὶ γοῦν τις φόβῳ Κυρίου τὰς ἐντολάς ἐστι κατορθῶν, καὶ ἅμα τῆς θείας γλυκύτητος καὶ ἀγάπης καταξιοῦται· καὶ ὥσπερ τι ἔπαθλον ταύτης κατ᾿ ἀναλογίαν τῆς προκοπῆς, τῶν θείων μυστηρίων καρποῦται τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν· καὶ ὧν οὐδὲ ἀκούειν οἷός τέ ἐστιν, ἄπρακτος ὤν, διὰ τῆς πράξεως ἥκων, σαφῶς καταθρεῖ· ὧν τε οὐ συνίησιν ἑρμηνευομένων, πόῤῥω πράξεως ὤν, αὐτὸς ἑρμηνεὺς καθίσταται ἄριστος, τὴν πρακτικὴν μετιών. Καὶ γ' ἐπήβολος τῶν ἀῤῥήτων τῇ θεωρίᾳ κομιδῇ γίνεται· καὶ τὸ τῶν θείων βάθος παραβαλών, ἐρευνᾷ, καὶ ἀκλύστως τοῖς τῆς σοφίας βυθοῖς ἀνανήχεται. Παραβολὰς οὖν ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ αἰνίγματα πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῶν μαθητευομένων τῷ ἴσῳ πνεύματι προτίθησι· καὶ ἀναβάσεις ἐν καρδίᾳ νοερῶς ἐποικοδομεῖ, τὰ τῆς Θεοῦ σοφίας ἄδηλα τε καὶ κρύφια ἱερῶς τε ἅμα καὶ μυστικῶς θεωρῶν. Ἀλλ᾿ ἡ μὲν τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν ἐντολῶν καὶ παραβολῶν, ὡς ἐν βραχεῖ φάναι δύναμις, ἐν τούτοις· πρακτικούς τε γὰρ καὶ θεωρητικοὺς καὶ φιλοσόφους τῷ ὄντι, καὶ ἀποστολικὸν ἐπανῃρημένους βίον, ἀδελφοὺς τε καὶ συμμεριστὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοὺς κατ' ἐκείνας ἐντελεῖς, ἀποφαίνουσιν. Ἐπεὶ δ᾽ οὖν τῶν ἀμηχάνων ἐστὶ καὶ τῶν μὴ δυνατῶν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν οἴκοθεν κινουμένην τῇ φυσικῇ ῥώμη εἰς τὸ τέλειον τῆς πράξεως ἐπιβῆναι, ἢ τῷ ὕψει τῆς θεωρίας ἐπιβαλεῖν, εἰ μή τις τοῖς τῆς καρδίας μυχoῖς τὸν Σωτῆρα Κύριον ὡς Θεόν τέλειον καὶ ὁμοθενῆ τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ ἄνθρωπον τέλειον οἷά τινα θεμέλιον ἀῤῥαγῆ προβάλλοιτο, καὶ αὐτῷ ἀρωγῷ κεχρημένος προσεύχοιτο, πρός τε πρᾶξιν καὶ θεωρίαν εὐθυνθείη· ὃ δὴ τότε μὲν αὐτὸς δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ τοῖς ἰδίοις ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς ὑπέφηνε θιασώταις, ἐξῆς δὲ καὶ πάσαις ταῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων γενεαῖς διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν Εὐαγγελίων καὶ διδάσκει καὶ καταγγέλλει, Θεὸν καὶ ἄνθρωπον εἶναι τέλειον ἑαυτὸν ἐμφανῶς παριστῶν. Τοῦτο χρὴ καὶ ἡμᾶς πρὸ παντὸς ἐννοοῦντας, Θεόν τε καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν τούτου ἐντολῶν καταρτιζομένους, ἀνατρέχειν πρὸς τὴν ἔνθεον ἐκείνην τελείωσιν.

^B stability, finally innocence and cleanliness, and that freedom from all contamination and defilement of both flesh and spirit, they introduce. Finally, all the precepts, one sense after another, like pedagogues, teach and instruct, and rightly form and rein in the tongue. All those precepts, too, having followed through their own spiritual efficacy, and having been rightly and judiciously conceived in the soul, make us alacritous and vivid executors of them—men who are, that is to say, good and just, placid and equitable, and likewise merciful and lovers of God; and, to sum up, they teach us to cast out entirely from our hearts all injustice and iniquity, and to turn away from them, and instead to practice and meditate upon every justice and virtue, according to the proportion of our conformation and likeness to the teacher himself. ^C So that then, when they have already arrived at the disposition and affection of the heart, and thus at the habit of goodness, and have observed them as much as is possible, they are no longer able to sin; for they have been composed and led to the perfection that human capacity admits, just as he who preceded them as the best master and teacher of these things. Moreover, to one who has been led to perfection by such fruitful knowledge of the precepts, the passage to the contemplative height becomes easy and smooth through that same fruitful power. For if anyone correctly executes the precepts through the fear of the Lord, He deems him worthy of divine sweetness and charity at the same time. Thus he finally, as a reward for the virtue that produces works, and according to the proportion of his progress, receives the fruits of the revelation of divine mysteries. And those things which he could not even hear while idle and apart from the active virtue, he contemplates clearly and evidently, making access for himself through works. Those things which he does not grasp through understanding, he interprets for himself most excellently, being remote from the producer of works and pursuing that power, and becomes master of arcane and utterly ineffable things through contemplation: and, having attacked the height of divine sciences, he searches them out, and swims freely and without danger in the deep of wisdom. Therefore, he sets forth parables and riddles for the edification of those who learn in the same spirit, and constructs for himself, as it were, steps and ascents in his heart through the sharpness of his mind: contemplating the obscure, abstruse, and hidden things of the wisdom of God, both holily and mystically. Yet the precepts and parables of the Gospels, as far as they can be briefly stated, are situated in these things. For they make those who act and those who contemplate, and true philosophers who have chosen to live an apostolic life—yea, even brothers and participants of Christ—those who, according to these precepts, reach unto perfection. Furthermore, it is impossible that human nature and frailty, stirred by its own impetus and native power, should either reach the perfection of the producing virtue or aspire to the height of contemplations, unless one has laid as a most firm foundation in his inmost heart the Saviour Lord, as perfect God, being of the same power and virtue with the Father, and the same one as perfect man; and, using Him as a helper, prays zealously that for him both the production of works and the contemplation of arcane things may properly succeed. Which surely the Lord Jesus Himself demonstrated to His own followers in His own person; and subsequently, through the holy Gospels, He taught all the nations of all men, clearly and perspicuously asserting Himself to be God and at the same time perfect man. This we also, considering before all else, ought to profess both God and Lord, and the same one as perfect man, and, being well instructed by His precepts, to contend and strive toward that divine perfection.

Chapter XXIII.

Truly, that the Lord is by nature perfect man, yet without the defilement and stains of nature, is clearly asserted by the nine-month gestation in the womb, His birth, upbringing, baptism, temptations, hunger, thirst, toil, fatigue, tears, agony, sleep, weariness, and whatever are the natural and blameless affections of men: furthermore, the slaps, buffets, scourges, insults, gibes, spitting, sneering, mockery, and the like; and in addition the cross, the nails, vinegar, gall, the lance; and finally, death, funeral, and burial. And these things were indeed observed by the disciples at the time for the confirmation of the faith in His flesh, and the writings of the holy Gospels exhibit and represent them for all who follow in order. And so all these things sufficiently indicate that the Savior is truly man. That, however, the same one is also perfect God, ^B without any confusion or mixture, inseparably having taken the human nature unto His own subsistence and having made the properties thereof His own—deeming nothing that pertains to it as a source of shame—is manifested clearly. And whatever natural and blameless passions belong to it are most clearly displayed, first by the seedless birth from a virgin, and the glorification of the heavenly and angelic host over it, the star guiding the Magi, and their worship with symbolic gifts; furthermore, the singular testimony of John concerning the baptism: and, far more sublime than that, the ^C paternal voice which broke forth when the heavens were opened, and the Spirit that descended from thence upon Him in the form of a dove, as if drawing that voice toward Him who was being baptized, thundering from above that He is the beloved Son; and other things, which to recount in detail is not the work of the present treatise. These things, then, are sufficient for those capable of seeing perfectly to produce faith in His divinity. But in order that even this gross world, surrounded as it were by darkness, might be illumined, and that those dwelling in gloom might behold the light of the ^D immense and more than infinite divine love for the human race, and might recognize the riches of His goodness, by performing prodigies and most great miracles, augmenting and confirming the faith of men more clearly, the God-man Word established His divinity more and more through these things.

CHAPTER XXIV.

And as for individual miracles, by which His divinity is declared, to grasp and explain them in the present discourse—as far as we are concerned, who are separated by a long lapse of time and manner from those...

^A whose contemplation we are far removed—that it is not within our capacity, just as indeed it was not for the divine Evangelists themselves, to recount one by one everything they saw: for it is as impossible to survey and measure them as it is to number the sun’s rays or the onrushing waves that crowd upon themselves. For them, it was sufficient to recount only the most notable things—those that would most effectively gain credibility with the hearers—while omitting the majority of things, knowing as they did that they would not be easily believed by the world or by those who are minded toward worldly things and are of a more obtuse mind. To this, I think, the saying also tends: "If they were written one by one, not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written." Therefore, we also, having chosen to traverse briefly those things that contribute to the narrative, will proceed to the next parts of our discourse. ^B What, then, are those things that provide certain and full assurance of the divinity of Jesus? The water changed into wine at the wedding in Cana by a word alone; the healing of the fever that vanished at His word, both in the case of Peter’s mother-in-law and the nobleman’s son; the cleansing of the lepers by His will alone; the restoration of the lame by a mere command; the recovery of sight for many who were blind and even those blind from birth; the articulation and distinctness given to the tongue and hearing of the deaf, and those who were speechless or spoke with difficulty; the restoration of limbs to their proper state that had long suffered from wasting—as was shown in the man lowered by ropes through the tiles by four bearers, and the one who had languished for eight and thirty years at Solomon’s sheep-pool; the releasing of the bonds of withered hands; the straightening of those who were bowed to the ground; the panic and sudden flight of the troops and camps of many demons; the cleansing of those afflicted by the moon; the stopping of the flow of blood by the secret touch of a garment’s hem; the centurion’s boy rescued from the danger that was already anticipated; the daughter of Jairus brought back from death; the driving out and expulsion of all sorts and kinds of evil spirits, and their drowning in the waters along with the herd of swine. ^C Furthermore, five loaves and two fish feeding five thousand to the fill, and the remainder of these being twelve baskets; and again, on another occasion, four thousand fed with seven, and the seven baskets that miraculously remained over; the walking upon the sea as if upon the firmness of dry land, not only by Him, but also by Peter, the chief of the disciples, at the invitation of Jesus; the sharp rebuke of the storm, as the sea was muzzled and suddenly changed from raging waves into calm; the stomach of the dropsical man shrunk to its proper state by His nod; and the city of Naim, which saw the widow’s son, already being carried out for burial, alive once more. And, to speak in summary, the present aid and healing ^D of every manner and kind of bodily malady and infirmity.

CAPUT XXV. Of the divine transfiguration of the Savior, and of the miraculous wonder exhibited toward His friend Lazarus.

^A Furthermore, of all divine miracles, the chief, greatest, and most evident for establishing the faith in His divinity is that ascent into the mountain with the disciples, and the change of the body into a form resembling the divine; of which those who were worthy of such honor, the chief among the disciples—Peter and the sons of Zebedee—were granted to be eyewitnesses. For as He prayed, His face shone like the sun and much brighter, and His garments glittered like light. And from the lowest depths of the underworld, Moses, the minister of the Law, appeared, and Elijah also, having emerged from secret hiding places, was made manifest; both were present, conversing about the departure through the cross which He was soon about to fulfill in Jerusalem. The disciples, being struck with awe at this, kept silence for the time being, considering it a supernatural mystery; but when, greater still, they beheld the resurrection from the dead, then they proclaimed this also, along with the others, for the sake of making the faith more manifest and certain to all.

^B There stands out also that which He performed for His friend Lazarus, who came from the village of Bethany, and was brother to Martha and Mary who served Him. When he was on the point of death, his sisters sent word to Jesus to signify this and to implore His aid. But He, knowing that this would be to His glory, spoke familiarly with His disciples, saying a little later that Lazarus had fallen asleep, and that He rejoiced on their account that He had not been there. But when the deceased had already been enclosed in the tomb for four days, the Savior arrived; ^C and when the sisters had spoken many piteous words with tears, at last He arrived at the tomb and commanded the stone to be removed. But he was already decaying and emitting a foul odor, the sinews and connections of his bodily frame having already dissolved. The Savior, however, having yielded Himself to prayer, and having groaned intensely and called upon the paternal aid from heaven, cried out, “Lazarus, come out!” And the deceased, as though alive and ever in the presence of his Friend, followed; and bound in burial shrouds, he emerged as a spectacle most famous to all, and being released from those bonds, he went home. ^D But since the multitude was in an uproar, and the chief priests were plotting and deliberating how to kill both Him and Lazarus, He left Jerusalem, departed thence, and dwelt in a local region which is called Ephraim. And such are the matters concerning these new and above-nature miracles.

CAPUT XXVI. A commemoration of all the parables of the Savior.

Perhaps it will not be untimely to discuss also, in a brief discourse, those things which He spoke by way of parables, for the sake of clearer understanding, as far as it is possible. Among Matthew, therefore, the first…

^A parable is the seed, as was fitting, falling into the earth, germinating thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and even a hundredfold. The second is the field having tares sown upon it, which it seemed worthy to spare for that reason. There follows the mustard seed, growing into a great tree; and the leaven of flour, hidden in three measures. Item, the field bought for much gold, because of the treasure of gold buried there; and that precious pearl which a merchant bought for the sake of gain. Furthermore, the net containing every kind of fish, enclosed by the fisherman. Afterwards, that flock of one hundred sheep, and the one which, having wandered far away, was saved by the good shepherd. The debtor of ten thousand talents. The hiring of laborers for wages, bringing what seemed unjust into an unequal equality of justice. The two sons who, when called by their father and sent into his vineyard, perform the work in reverse order. Following these are the wicked husbandmen who plotted the murder of their master's son. Furthermore, the king preparing magnificent nuptials for his son, and celebrating the banquet with guests gathered on short notice. Also, the five lamps of the wise and foolish virgins, either burning or extinguished. The householder prudently distributing talents to his own servants; and the shepherd prudently separating the sheep to the right and left. And these Matthew has. But to Mark ^B it came to mind to record only four of these: namely, the unequal return of the two-fold seed, those who by persuading the householder ask that he allow them to pull up the tares, the tree of mustard, and the heir of the vineyard wickedly struck by the servants. And the divine Luke collects very many, and among the rest he sets forth these as well: First, he who firmly builds a house upon the rock, and does not lay the foundations upon the sand. Of him who was granted a great benefit by the Lord through the remission of a larger debt, whence he was bound to love Him more and more vehemently. Then the traveler who fell among robbers and obtained care from the Samaritan. To these, he who comes at an unseasonable hour of the night and obtains what he asks for by his importunity. Item, the father not giving evil things, such as a stone or a scorpion, to a child who asks. Furthermore, the evil spirit finding the house swept with brooms and entering into it with seven others, and making things worse than the former ones. Observe also for me the servant who awaits his master returning from the wedding. And no less the fig tree, which had already admitted fertilization for the third year; but because it brought forth no fruit, it was cut down by the husbandman. Item, another fig tree which withered because of its barrenness. Furthermore, the woman sweeping the house, and because of the finding of the drachma, calling her neighbors and rejoicing in a greater measure. There is besides the spendthrift son, embracing the compassionate father, and having obtained paternal adoption beyond his expectation and opinion. Item, the steward of the good and praised iniquity, who with unique and provident skill prepared another favor for himself from debt ^C money. The poor man, Lazarus, also, swarming with sores, and the unsympathetic rich man in the midst of the flame of the furnace asking for dew. In addition to these, the tax collector, striking his breast with a humbled mind and opening the heavens; but the Pharisee falling to the ground ^D by the empty pride of exalting himself; and the distribution of the minas, divided among the ten servants. But these are the parables, together with which he also interwove other things enigmatically, both the Old and

^A the New Testament signifying, and at once the absolute perfection of the future kingdom, and at the same time adumbrating the increase of the doctrine and preaching in the best way: for so long as the disciples were still imperfect, and not yet sufficiently initiated in the more absolute mysteries.

CAPUT XXVII. Upon the completion of thirty-three years, the Savior came to Bethany; and concerning the harlot, and the branches of the palms, and also the withered fig tree.

Deinceps, when the three-year duration of the Son of God’s time on earth for the promulgation of his doctrine was drawing to its end, and it was necessary for him, in accordance with what had been foreordained and established from the foundation of the world, and predicted by the oracles of the Holy Scriptures, to lay down his life for the life and salvation of the world, and furthermore to descend through death to the underworld, so that he might lead back those who were worthy ^B and suitable—those, that is, who had persistently persevered in faith—into life and into paradise itself, as the prince and author of eternal life; and when, for this purpose, the supreme Word of God had already perfected all things, and had signaled to his disciples with the joyous message that the kingdom of heaven was drawing near; and had also announced that liberty was coming to those captured by Satan, and that a great light was soon to shine upon those whose minds were darkened and who were blinded by unbelief, for the preaching of the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of retribution, and for the consolation of those mourning in Zion: taking with him those whom he had imbued with his sacred mysteries, he approached the village of Bethany, which is distant from Jerusalem by perhaps fifteen stadia. ^C There Simon the leper received him into his house, whom the apocryphal books clearly hand down to us as having been the father of Lazarus. There, while he was taking food, he had as a fellow-guest Lazarus, whom he had not long before restored to life. There also Lazarus' sister, Mary, receiving Jesus humanely as God, because of the redivivus restoration of her brother, anointed his head with precious ointment. Just as, indeed, another woman had done before, around the middle of the time of his preaching; and again another woman, who had spent her whole life in harlot's earnings, shortly before the passion, outside Jerusalem, with ointment of great weight and price, washed the feet of Jesus, ^D adumbrating and representing the mystery of the burial. This woman, having by those things into which she had drawn many to the slipperiness of perdition, wiped his feet as though with sponges—and mixing the ointment with her tears—was freed from the heavy chain of her sins. Then, so that the Scriptures concerning him might have a fitting and due end, he mounts the foal of a beast of burden, he who is seated upon cherubic thrones, and rode through the gates of Jeru-

- ^A salem. The crowd, intending to show him the honor of an entry, as if toward some extraordinary Lord who was above man, and who was King, wove public songs. And a multitude of infants, too, gathered around him, chanting divine paeans; and some of them spread their garments upon the ground, while others, breaking off branches of olive and palm, either cast them under his feet or waved them with their hands, applauding him with magnificent acclamations, just as one would a victor and a triumpher: “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they said, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. God is the Lord, and he has appeared to us.” And these things they shouted, accompanying him a long way, until he entered the temple with glory. Hence, having driven out with a whip those who were peddling in sacred things ^B with the greatest authority and boldness, he stirred up the wicked against him, to envy and that mad frenzy of theirs. Giving place to their wrath (for they were rushing toward murder, seeing the world following after him), the Savior departed from Jerusalem again for the sake of prayer. After a sufficient lapse of time, he returned again; and it was morning, and having become hungry—which was indeed characteristic of his humanity—he turned aside to a certain fig tree. Since no fruit was present on it, he immediately cursed it with the ultimate curse, as it had been the first cause and leader of the transgression; and suddenly all its moisture having drained away, it was seen by all to be withered. This, then, was a work of the divinity within him that was altogether most ^C evident; for just as there was in him a natural will of man and a will according to the nature of God, so also there was seen in him the activity of both man and God. For each nature both willed and acted according to its own properties with the participation of the other. For neither nature acted on its own without the other; but both the divinity with the humanity, and the humanity again with the divinity, performed what was proper to each in a supernatural way. Hence, just as the properties of the Godhead are communicated to the Son of man, so again the natural weaknesses of man are clearly communicated to the God Word, because of the union according to hypostasis. Perhaps, too, the withered fig tree hinted at the fruitlessness of the synagogue ^D of the Jews; and thus, any rational soul that is overcome by unbelief toward Christ, even if it considers itself to be flourishing greatly in the laws of the letter as if with leaves, yet if it falls away from the law of faith in Christ, by which it is primarily nourished and fostered, and if it becomes far removed from the blessing of God, it withers.

Chapter XXVIII. On the mystical supper, the sacred basin, and the prayer of Christ.

At this time, a supper is prepared in the house, as they say, of John the Evangelist—which he had purchased in the region around Mount Sion, having sold his own possession (and it was not a small one) in Galilee to Annas, who was at that time the high priest of Judea, by which favor he also happened to be known to him, ^A as he himself suggests somewhere in his own holy testimony. There, therefore, the disciples prepared the legal Passover with a certain man, before the day of Unleavened Bread had arrived, just as it had been commanded and prescribed to them. Yet, although it was required that the lamb be sacrificed ^B towards the evening on the Day of Preparation, as the law directed, it was necessary, nevertheless, that the true Lamb, who was very soon to be sacrificed for us as our Passover upon the Cross, should anticipate this and fulfill the type and image of the legal Passover on the evening of Thursday. And indeed, this argument is held by many others, but especially by the one who earns the name of Golden-mouthed, that Christ first ate the irrational lamb with his disciples, as was indeed proper; then, having reclined at that mystical and secret supper, after a short while he arose, immediately laid aside his garments (inasmuch as they perhaps burdened him and hindered him in the performance of his ministry), girded himself with a towel, and thus promptly and eagerly washed the feet of the disciples, at once displaying a new height ^C of submission and humanity, and symbolically declaring in them the appropriation of cleanliness of both mind and body. Furthermore, he signaled to them that their feet were fit and suitable for the journey to the nations; and beyond this, he obscurely intimated the beauty of those divine feet that joyfully proclaim the peace of the Gospel. When he had once again reclined, he delivered the mystical sacrifice of our terrible and life-giving mysteries, made with leavened bread and wine pressed from the vine. And when he had blessed these through thanksgiving and sanctification, and had imparted grace, and had confirmed with his own pledge that they were truly his body and blood, he commanded them to receive and partake of them, since they differed in nothing from his divine flesh. ^D In this way, he also handed down for the faithful to do hereafter in pure memory of him. And thus, having instructed his fellow-guests and companions with such heavenly and mystical discourses as were fitting, and having spoken of new and secret things, and having pledged to them more mystically the coming of the Spirit who proceeds from the Father, and having finally set forth a new testament to them, he went out with them to the field of Gethsemani to pray. And there, truly manifesting his humanity, he asked in prayer that, if it were the will of the Father, the cup of death might pass from him. His disciples, however, being baptized with the heavy sleep of drowsiness, were listless, and each fell down as he happened to be. But the Master stood over them to rebuke them, and more

^A especially Peter, who was more fervent and keen than the others, and who had promised that he would stand firm in dangers, and declared his weakness, praying that, if it so pleased the Father, the cup of death might pass from him.

Chapter 29. On the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, and on the time of the Savior's teaching.

It is necessary to know that Divine Scripture states that the Savior completed the entire duration of his teaching under the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, since the entire time of Jesus' teaching was ^B encompassed within the years of their administration of the priesthood. For he began his teaching at the high priesthood of Annas, and concluded it up to the office of Caiaphas. The whole time of the Savior's teaching does not even amount to four years. For as the legal ordinances were gradually being dissolved, there had perished, among other things, that worship and ministry of God which had differed through the succession of the ancestors. For the governors sent from time to time from ^C Rome would buy the ministry with money, and others would succeed others, so that no one continued in it for more than a single year. That what is said is true, I shall use Josephus as a witness, who, in his *Antiquities*, records that after Annas, four high priests succeeded one another up to Caiaphas, and he recounts it in these very words: “Valerius Gratus, having removed Ananus from the priesthood, appoints Ismael, son of Phabi, as high priest. But having replaced him after no long time, he designates Eleazar, ^D son of the high priest Ananus, as high priest. After the year had passed, and this one too having been rejected from the priesthood, he hands over the high priesthood to Simon, son of Camithus. But not even for him, holding this honor, did the time exceed one year; and Joseph, who is also called Caiaphas, was his successor.” From these things it is therefore gathered that the time of the Savior's teaching is not even a full four years, since over four years, four high priests from Annas to the ordaining of Caiaphas had each completed a yearly ministry. Indeed, the writing of the Gospels shows that Caiaphas was the high priest of the year in which the saving passion was accomplished; from which also the time of Christ's teaching is clearly proved to be consonant with the observation proposed.

CHAPTER XXX. NICEPHORI CALLISTI

Concerning the betrayal of Judas; and concerning the divine sufferings of Christ; and concerning his saving cross.

^A Corrupted by this very Caiaphas and the wicked council of the scribes, Judas Iscariot—as if seized by the disease of avarice—he who had been made a participant with the rest of the disciples in things to be said, things to be kept silent, and in all other matters by the Savior, having rendered himself a stranger and destitute of divine grace through his exceeding wickedness, after the washing, after the initiation into the sacred mysteries (1), and the lifegiving bread itself, while yet alive fell into the power of the enemy, to whom he had previously given himself over by the determination of his will and mind. And so, having separated himself from the choir of the apostles, he fulfilled the agreements he had made with the Scribes and Pharisees. For having brought in the cohort with the tribune and the multitude that delights in robberies and plunder—to whom lanterns and burning torches and clubs were in their hands—he betrayed the Lord with a kiss, and departed. But He, being seized, was led to death like an innocent lamb, showing no sign of resistance, nor taking ill the assault of the strikers; but with a calm and untroubled mind followed those who were dragging ^B Him along. Nor did He only show that, but He also rebuked Peter, the most fervent of the disciples, who had unsheathed his sword, and ordered him to return the iron to its sheath; then He restored the severed ear of the high priest's servant, whose name was Malchus: not that He suffered these things through lack or weakness—for had He wished, very many legions of auxiliaries would have been at His disposal—but because He allowed them at the will of another; and He testified that He was being overcome for the present so that what had been established in the Scriptures might reach its lawful and debted end. Thus, therefore, having been led, He was brought first to Annas, and then to Caiaphas, who had obtained the high priesthood for that year. And there He was bound by an oath to confess whether He was the Christ whom they expected. But when the high priest heard what was true (for Christ did not ^C grudgingly confess Himself to be the Son of God), he immediately tore his garment, called Him impious and a blasphemer, and judged Him worthy of death. These words having been spoken by the high priest, slaps were struck upon His face, His countenance was spat upon, and throughout the whole night He was affected with every sort of mockery by the wine and drunkenness of the importunate men, and with reproaches and insults. Moreover, when it dawned, they led Him with bound hands to Pilate. And it was now day, and the governor had taken his seat before the tribunal. There the Jews, as if moved by madness, surrounded Him, rending Him with insults; but He, by silence and gentleness, stopped the mouth of the accusation. And Pilate, seeing such bitter and inhuman barking, inquired what the cause might be. But the Savior did not even deign to answer him. A cry was heard of those urging ^D Him to be crucified. And the governor, on one hand provoked by his wife Procla, who was sending messages that he should not judge anything against that just man, and on the other hand struck by his own conscience, endeavored to release Him; for there was not [any]

any capital crime brought against Him. But he sends Him to Herod, who was then sojourning in Jerusalem, that he might inquire if He had committed anything worthy of capital punishment. But when not even he found anything, He is brought back to Pilate. Then they charge Him with the crime of high treason, as if He had set Himself up as King; and they tell Pilate that if he let Him go, he would be acting against the friendship of Caesar. When Pilate heard this, fearing lest he should receive ill favor from Tiberius, and consequently lose the dignity of his prefecture and the honor of retaining it, and being overcome by a desire to please men, he laid the scourge upon His neck and turned Him over to the bloodthirsty executioners to be scourged. And now the Savior was again in the praetorium: and the multitude and all the most vile of the populace took the impunity to do whatever they wished against Him. ¶There, certain of those impure men strip off His garments and wrap a scarlet chlamys about Him in the manner of a purple robe. Moreover, they crown His head with a crown of thorns as if He were a king, and place a reed in His hands in place of a royal scepter; ^B others, bending the knee, offered Him adoration in gesture, tauntingly saying: "Hail, King of the Jews." Others, striking His head with reeds, clapped their hands. There were also those who, giving Him blows on the cheeks and joining derision with a sneer of the nose, asked: "Prophesy to us, O Christ, who is he that struck Thee?" Afterward, having again clothed Him in His own garments, they ordered Him to take up the cross upon His shoulders; and He was led out of the gate. And when the bloodthirsty men arrived at the place of the Skull, and the cross was fixed in the ground, He was hung upon it, fastened with nails, and was exceedingly mocked by those passing by. ^C And so that He might also be reckoned as an evildoer, they tortured two robbers on either side in the same manner. And a title above His head indicated the cause of the condemnation in three types of letters. Of the robbers, the one who confessed the condemned man as God snatched paradise and entered it by force; but the other was looked down upon as a blasphemer. When all things were already finished, He says: "I thirst." But they, quick to malice, instantly bring vinegar mixed with gall; to whom long ago in arid places when pressed by thirst, the rock had furnished water by pouring forth a fountain; and they who had tasted the honey brought the gall. Then, crying out with a loud voice and commending His spirit into the hands of the Father, He released His life, and died hanging there for a considerable time. ^D From there, one of the soldiers, doing a favor to the Jewish nation, pierced His side with a spear; and at the touch, blood and water strangely gushed forth. But when all had been moved out of the way for fear of the murderers, only the mother and the beloved disciple were present, beholding with their own eyes each thing that happened before the death and after the death. Yet that blood and water, gushing forth in a new way from His side as if He were still alive, they collect in a vessel with great piety and at the same time with devotion. Then also the mother the

Mother of God ^A is spoken of to the disciple, the Son entrusting His own affection for her to the one He loved.

CHAPTER XXXI

Which of the divine passions are to be attributed to Christ as God-man, and which as God; and regarding the descent of Christ according to his soul into Hades: when and how He liberated those who had been bound in Hades.

Indeed, the stated affections and sufferings befell Christ not as a mere man, but as God-man according to the flesh. Yet whatever things were above the condition of human nature—those which occurred regarding Him before death, after the taking down from the tree, and in the burial itself, in a manner worthy of God—unquestionably, certainly, and evidently declare His divinity. And what are these? Dense and almost palpable darkness from the sixth hour to the ninth; the sun declining not by the order or reason of nature, ^B but suffering together with its Creator and being extinguished, and again shining forth; a great earthquake; rocks being rent; the veil of the temple being torn; monuments being opened; and dead men leaping up from the sepulchers and appearing manifest to many known to them, who were judged worthy and suitable, most accurately bearing witness to the resurrection of Him who raised them. For Christ, the Sun of justice, with His soul alone separated by death from His body, having appeared to the souls of the righteous in Hades, became the guide of the journey leading to paradise, the leader of light and the commander of the way for them, just as He had been for the thief. For on that same day, or rather in that same hour, He sprang forth from Hades, as some have clarified, and especially he who has the name of the "Golden Tongue" [Chrysostom]; for it was not reasonable ^C that His soul should be held in Hades, carrying nothing of the paternal curse with it. But suddenly, and as one might say, with the speed of lightning, having illuminated the worthy through the light of His super-shining divinity, and [having broken] ^D the chains of those fearsome and sunless depths with infinite power...

and having, as it were, crushed the princes of darkness and leaders of evils with the brilliance of divine power and the militia of angelic ranks, He—without time, without labor, and, to speak collectively in a manner worthy of God—translated them in a single moment to the sacred tabernacles of paradise, which shine with infinite light; and He bestowed these upon them, as though they were certain pledges and first-fruits of those mansions and eternal inheritances which are prepared in the heavens, after the common resurrection of all, for those who are worthy, as was fitting. Just as, therefore, the Savior was present to the naked souls in Hades with His naked soul, in the manner already spoken of, and in a certain way indicated His resurrection on the evening of Preparation; so again, after the third day, while it was still deep dawn of the first of the Sabbaths, with the sun just rising ^B over the paradise in Eden and touching the high and topmost peaks of the mountains, while around our own horizon it was nearly the seventh or even the eighth hour of the night, He arose from the tomb with His life-initiating and godlike, animate and intellectual body, just as He had indeed foretold.

CAPUT XXXII. Clear demonstration, from the supernatural miracles that occurred at that time, that the Lord rose from the dead.

^C And indeed, the death of the God-man Himself was not accomplished in a corner or in some secret place, nor at an obscure time or in an obscure manner; but by being lifted up on the wood, with the nations and the Jews watching, and in a place and on a day famous for the feast of the Passover, He ended His life. Nor was His tomb less magnificent; for it belonged to a rich man and was new, having been recently hewn into the stone. And such was the funeral and the burial! For aloe and myrrh, being perfectly blended together, enclosed ^D the dead body, wrapped in linen cloths and shrouds, and held and bound it precisely, so that the whole appeared as one body, the aforementioned aromatics having a power greater than any glue to hold together that to which they are applied. Just as, therefore, the death and burial of Christ possess a certain and irrefutable character, having taken place in prominent places; so too was it necessary that His resurrection, in sequence, obtain the completeness to confirm this, establishing for those who are worthy the certainty and indubitability of the faith in every way. The life-giving and saving passions, therefore, which He underwent for our sake, having taken on our substance apart from sin, He displayed before everyone, even as we have recounted. Though, indeed,

^A He did not permit His life-giving and three-day resurrection from the dead to be viewed in the same way by all, both profane and holy, for it has been reckoned that this is not for the righteous—nor, for that matter, is it consistent with the divine and lofty judgment of God to entrust such things to the profane and envious eyes of those who would deliver the Holy One of Israel back into the crucible for the sake of a warped heart, so that, standing in doubt and uncertainty as they did before, and through thoughts that had already rejected the proper judgment, they might again reject and repudiate Him. But to those who possessed a right mind and a heart as pure as possible, He displayed and confirmed His resurrection, clear and alien to any doubtful uncertainty: first, having been seen by His Mother and the other women; then by the chosen disciples, appearing to different ones at different times over forty days; and by new and unusual words, as well as by signs and wonders surpassing nature, He resolved and removed—as much as was possible for them—every ambiguity concerning the resurrection.

Nor did He confirm the faith of His resurrection by these things alone, but also by the wonders that followed at the tomb. And what are these? First, the seal upon the tomb, which remained untouched; and that military guard keeping watch over it, being soldiers and of a foreign nation; and that massive stone, placed at the mouth of the sepulcher, and which there fell away, or rather, was rolled away by the hand and power of an angel (which, in truth, surpasses all opinion regarding these things), and yet it did not corrupt even the smallest sign of its own seal. For it has been handed down to us by the ancients that the Jews, having placed that stone as a lid upon that life-giving tomb, bored through the upper lip of the monument and the rock beneath it that touched the tomb with certain iron tools, by the art of stone-cutting; they drove iron, thick and forged, obtained from a nearby smith, through both the holes, and, drawing it around into the shape of a ring, ^B and thus having secured and bound it together on all sides in a way that left no room for error, made it impossible for the stone in any way to be removed from its seat, or indeed moved in any manner, unless some necessity of art and force were applied in such a way that either the iron was shattered or the rock was split. Having sealed it thus with such precision, they departed, leaving behind a guard appropriate to the task. And so, since none of those signs were in any way moved, and the stone had fallen away from there without a crash or sound (a stone which is indeed recorded as being very large), so that to the women bearing the ointments, and to the disciples themselves as they approached, the place where the body had been laid was openly indicated by its own magnitude—who would not recognize this as an evident and irrefragable proof and demonstration of the resurrection? Such, then, are these, the most manifest proofs of the resurrection of the Savior; but what of the linens or winding sheets, or, if you will, the sudarium on His head? ^C For these, having been attached to the myrrh, and to the aloes, and to that life-giving body, and having become, as it were, one body through the power of the aromatic substances, in no way permit the body to have been stolen, according to the Jewish madness. How ^D

indeed could the thieves, while stripping the body, have removed these, when the sepulchral linens were found intact and properly ^A arranged, just as they had been wrapped about Him, each in its own place? And why would the sudarium not lie in disorder, but be folded up decorously in one place, namely, at the head? It is therefore certain and accepted by all who wish to understand and attain knowledge and to think rightly, that the Lord rose not only on the third day with His body, but with a body that was tenuous and light; no longer mortal, corruptible, and heavy as before, but rather incorruptible and immortal, and, to say it all, more spiritual and divine—one might even dare to say, of the same nature as God—surpassing the grasp of every sense, and superior to clothing and food, since He did not need them, so that He could naturally pass through closed doors, even though, by a wondrous manner of condescension and formation of appearance, He was seen by those whom He had drawn into closer fellowship, and allowed His side and the piercings of the nails to be touched, and took food, and tasted of fish and honey—not because He was hungry, but to create faith in the new resurrection and to abolish the opinion of a phantom, in an ineffable manner beyond nature, the food being consumed by the fire of His divinity.

CHAPTER XXIII. On the holy women, the myrrh-bearers, and how often they came to the life-giving tomb of Christ.

The testimony of the women who bore the ointment is no less valid for the confirmation of the true resurrection. ^B For they too are worthy of belief before God. For in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female, nor slave, nor free; but one in those who are worthy and fit, and in all respects the Lord: one faith, one Holy Spirit, who effects and works all things according to His own judgment and will. Just as, therefore, there seemed to be certain upright men who were more acceptable and faithful, through whom the whole world was caught by the evangelical net, and others after them who brought secondary offerings in faith and true knowledge; so too, very many believing women were received by Christ, ministering to His needs. Most famous among these is Mary, who came from Magdala, who had previously been possessed and held by seven spirits and, having been freed from them by Jesus, thought it her duty for the future to be with and live with her healer. Therefore, together with the Mother of God, and Salome, and the other Mary ^C—the daughter of the betrothed Joseph, but from Cleophas, the wife of his brother ^D

Maria, daughter of Joseph the spouse, born to him of Cleopas his brother—who had died childless—and having familiar association with others, had not ceased to attend and minister to Christ and His disciples. Some have stated that this Magdalene was the daughter of that Canaanite [woman]. With those whom we have mentioned, there was also another Mary, the wife of Judas, the son of Joseph, one of the twelve; whom some record as the mother of James the Less and Joses. Likewise Joanna, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, that is, of James and John. Many other women from Galilee followed them, being faithful in providing all manner of service, both to the mother of Jesus and to the Saviour Himself, being very useful for the needs of clothing and other service. ^B These women, therefore, burning with desire for the Master, but restraining themselves through fear of the persecutors, were compelled to remain quiet on the Sabbath, as was fitting. But late on the Sabbath—that is, after all the Sabbaths (for the Jews were accustomed to call the seven days themselves "Sabbaths," as it were, after the completion of the whole period of the week)—and after the midnight hours of the first [day] of the Sabbaths, or rather, as the Lord’s Day dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (for the sacred books have delivered to us that this was the Theotokos), being more fervent and affected by more vehement grief than the rest, arrived with certain unguents prepared in the customary manner, to anoint Jesus, as was the custom among the Jews, and to lament from the early morning, and to sate the sorrow of their souls with tears. And behold, they see the stone rolled far from the door, and an angel sitting upon it, dazzling their eyes with the radiance of light, and bidding them to be of good courage, and to go away immediately to report the resurrection to the mystics and disciples. ^C And as they were running back, Christ met them, bidding them rejoice, and to tell Peter and the disciples to hasten to Galilee in the first instance, to see Him whom they desired. And they, indeed, seized with great astonishment, departed in this way. This was the first appearance and manifestation after the resurrection to the two Marys, which Matthew and Mark proclaim. They, then, departed as I began to say, divided by fear, and reporting nothing of those things which they had seen. But Magdalene, according to what John writes, wasting away with desire, returned to the monument; and seeing the stone removed again (for she had thought it a dream or a vision that she had seen), she ran immediately to report to Peter and John—who were more fervent and zealous than the rest of the apostles—that Jesus had been taken from the monument, ^D but that she did not know where on earth He might be. They, having become anxious, immediately ran to the tomb. And having gone inside, and seeing the burial linens lying in order, they believed in the resurrection, having come into remembrance of the words of the Risen One; yet, because of fear, they again withdrew to their own places. But Mary, standing before the memorial, was weeping, and was in perplexity, wondering how the dead man could have...

been placed ^A there. Two angels who were shining with light were sitting by, one at the place of the head, and the other at the lower part, asking her the reason for which she was weeping. She replied to them that the Lord was not present in that place, and that she did not know where he had been placed. When these things were spoken, the Savior appeared behind her. The angels, immediately seeing him, stood up. But she, terrified by the posture of the angels, turned backward and saw Jesus standing. Thinking he was the gardener, because the memorial was in a garden, she let out a voice of little faith to him as he asked, saying, "If you, having moved him from here, have carried him away, tell me where on earth he may be, and I will take him up." But the Lord corrected her foolishness and unbelief with a single address. And immediately, having sensed his accustomed and sweet voice, and from exceeding joy having called him Teacher, and having put faith in the mystery, she immediately sought to touch his life-giving feet. But he restrained her, as she was still having such a dull mind, from touching him until he should have returned to the Father. For then, he says, let him who is able to cling in spirit partake of the authority. Thus, the Magdalene, having arrived at the tomb, saw Christ twice: the first time with the Theotokos, as the blessed Matthew records; the second and third times, alone, according to the inspired John. Now she also approaches a fourth time. ^B There were present with her Mary of James, and Joanna, and Salome, and many others who had come up with them from Galilee, with the sun just dawning. According to the divine Luke, those angels, shining in garments and of human appearance, told them not to seek the living among the dead. For they testified that he had risen and was not present in the tomb, and they charged them to call his words to memory, and having gone, to announce the same to the disciples. And so, having returned together with the most fervent Magdalene, they reported to the eleven and to all the others the things that had been seen. But they, considering the words of the women [as] nonsense, had no mind to believe. When the report gained wings, and was running about everywhere on the same day that Jesus had risen from the dead, the high priests and those of the council were in debate, having woven a plot, and having corrupted the hands of the soldiers with silver, they attempted to persuade [people] that the disciples had stolen the corpse of the teacher while they were held in a deep sleep. ^C This is what is rumored among them ^D even to this day.

^A

CHAPTER XXXIV. How often and to whom among the disciples he appeared; and how he was first seen by those with Luke and Cleopas, then in the evening by the eleven while the doors were shut; and how, eight days later, he was touched by the apostle Thomas.

From that time on, how often he appeared to the initiates, and by what signs and wonders he made himself known to them, it did not seem necessary to the eyewitnesses to record, as the God-befitting rapidity of the Word itself provided an easy and concise subject for reflection. They intended to set down [only] those things that were sufficient to create faith in those who were unworthy or slow to believe, while consigning the greatest part to the safety of silence. For in those forty days, says the God-inspired Luke, he appeared to them at intervals, and it was not without new signs and wonders that he announced to them the things concerning the kingdom of God.

First, then, as it has been said, he appeared to the women, as their faith was warmer and they were burning with desire of heart. Then to Simon Peter, since he also was burning for the Master, and had otherwise fallen through a slip of the tongue, and was suffering more exceedingly than the others. And on that very third—but first, of the resurrection—day, he is recognized by those with Luke and Cleopas while they were traveling, having sat down to supper with them in the evening; and he was known to them in the breaking of the bread, and became invisible again from their midst. ^B They, leaving the supper and without any delay, returned in haste at that time to Jerusalem. And they went up as quickly as possible to the upper room where the supper had been concluded, and where the disciples were hiding together for fear of their murderers, and joyfully announced to them Christ’s appearance to Simon Peter, and the other things regarding the Magdalene, the stone, and the angels flashing in extraordinary garments. They, in turn, recounted what had happened to them on the road, and how he was known to them breaking the bread.

From this a not insignificant commotion arose among them, as they were still doubtful among themselves. While they were thus at odds because of the novelty of the things being reported, at the late hour of that same day, as evening was thickening and the doors remained firmly shut (for they were afraid lest someone should enter secretly), the Lord suddenly stood in the midst of them, though they were still full of doubt, and immediately infused serene tranquility into their souls. ^C Having calmed the commotion, he uttered peace to them, according to his custom. By allowing them to touch his hands and his feet, and furthermore his divine side, he dissolved their wavering opinion concerning the resurrection and created in them a full and certain faith, so that they might firmly and constantly believe that he was the very same who had recently been pierced with nails, and not a spirit. For how could a spirit make use of flesh and bones, as he was seen by them, or how could it make use of touch, if it were altogether intangible? "I am he," he says, "entirely unchanged," ^D and...

indeed, breathing as the first fruits of the Paraclete upon your faces, I say: Receive the Holy Spirit, through whom I also grant the power to loose and to bind whatsoever human sins there may be. ^A It is necessary for you to know, as I have often told you, that it was destined for Christ to suffer according to the sequence of the scriptures, and to return into his own glory. But that you may have confirmation of faith not only by sight, and by hearing, and by touch, but also by taste itself, so that you may know that I am not a phantom, but I am he who died upon the wood, and was shut up in the tomb, and then departed from there by divine power—if there is any food at hand for you, bring it forth. And they set before him a portion of broiled fish, and honey mixed with the comb; and in the sight of all, taking with his hands what was set before him, he ate and refrained from drink, establishing the resurrection of the body from the dead in a sure manner. This manifestation of the Savior to his disciples was excellently proclaimed by the divine Luke and the glorious John. ^B What follows, the son of thunder proclaimed. For Thomas, who was surnamed Didymus, was not present at the evening appearance of Jesus. Therefore, when the rest of the disciples were relating the sight to him with joy, he was resentful and thought he was being wronged; and his soul was divided, standing in doubt, not as to those who were speaking, but that he had not even risen—for how could a man do this? And he even contended against those who were saying so, claiming he was far from belief unless he himself should touch the nail prints with his own hands, and placing his hand within his side, he could obtain certainty through touch. ^C But when the eighth day from then had passed, the doors being closed in their usual manner, and all of Christ’s followers being gathered together equally in fear (and Thomas was present with them), Jesus again arrived without any noise; and with his spiritual—or, to speak in one word, that godlike—body, without any obstacle impeding him, he stood in their midst and uttered his customary greeting. Then, also removing the doubtful ambiguity for Didymus, and through him laying firm and sure foundations of the resurrection for all others, he showed his hands and feet and his very side, and ordered him to touch the marks of the nails and the rather deep rift in his side accurately and diligently. ^D And so his faith was confirmed by that touch, that he confessed him with a loud voice as both Lord and God.

CHAPTER XXXV.

After this, again to Peter, Thomas, and Nathanael, to the sons of Zebedee, and to two others besides, at the Sea of Tiberias, during their struggle with the fishing, he appeared.

^A For the whole night had been spent by them in heavy labor, yet they had gained nothing at all of what they had hoped for. But at dawn, when Jesus stood by and commanded them to cast the net to the right side, such a multitude of fish was drawn in that they were not strong enough to haul the dragnet. Thus, by the miracle of the catch, the one who stood on the shore was recognized, and Peter immediately leaped into the sea—for they were about two hundred cubits from land—and being driven by the fiery heat of his longing, and having girded his loins with a linen cloth which he had suddenly found, he swam through the waves, gasping as pleasantly as he could and breathing, and making his way toward Christ. The others came on by rowing the fishing boat to the shore. As soon as they had disembarked and were greeting the one they longed for with joy, behold, they see on the coals a fish and bread already laid out, prepared, I suppose, by the hands of holy angels—that morning meal. They were furthermore commanded to bring some of the fish just caught for the feast; so they went up and hauled the net. It was indeed full of fish, both very large in size and immense in number; for they amounted in total to one hundred and fifty-three. And it was truly marvelous that, although they were so many and so large, the net was in no way torn; from which fact they had the assurance that it was the Lord by the miracle, and they stood among one another in delight, as he shared with them both the fish and the bread that had been laid out for eating. ^B When that marvelous breakfast had finished, the Lord asked Simon not once, nor twice, but a third time, whether he loved him more than the others. He did not ask this as one wishing to know—for how could he need to know, who holds the manifest and the discovered, and even those things that have not yet come to pass?—but that by a threefold confession he might cure the threefold denial. As he answered most quickly, he heard in this that he would sufficiently demonstrate the genuineness of his love if he were to tend the rational sheep in deed. This, however, would only be when he was willing to lay down his soul for them, just as he himself had done; for it would come to pass that, as one set over the sheep, he too would glorify God through the cross. For the word hinted at this: that whereas when he was young he would go wherever he wished, when he grew old he would stretch out his hands for another to gird him, and be led the way to death—which nature, longing to prolong life as far as possible, would abhor. And he understood what had been said, and seeing the disciple who had reclined upon the breast of the Lord following behind, he asked about his end and departure. But the Lord, having sharply rebuked him for wishing to inquire and investigate rashly and in vain into the secrets of the inscrutable judgment of God, said: "If I will that he remain in this present life in the body until I come—pursuing the matters concerning Jerusalem, or even until my second coming—what is that to thee? ^D As for how you have been appointed, follow me and prepare yourself for the death through the cross. But concerning John, or any other, it shall be my concern, not thine." And from thence a rumor flew about, that that disciple should not see death. But as for correcting the opinion of the many, as not rightly verifying that, he did not say

^A to him, he says, "Jesus, that he does not die." For indeed he shall die just as the Theotokos; but immediately he shall live and rise in an incorruptible body, ^B as it were, awaiting the second coming of the Master.

Chapter 36. That he was finally seen in Galilee: and when he had ascended the Mount of Olives, he was received into heaven and sat at the right hand of God.

^B Afterward, according to the sublime Matthew, he is seen by them on the mountain of Galilee; and there he confirms that the supreme power of heaven and earth had been given to him by the Father, according to his humanity, that is to say; and he exhorts them to go forth unto all nations, to initiate them into the sacred mysteries, and to baptize those who believe in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and to keep all the commandments, and he promises that he himself will be with them all the days, even unto the consummation of the present age. After this, he brings them through Bethany ^C onto the Mount of Olives and promises the gift of the Spirit, namely that they should sit in Jerusalem, until they should be clothed with power from on high. Having dictated the special commandments of the mission, and having imparted to them the blessings as was fitting, he is taken up into the heavens while they watch, a light-bearing cloud encompassing him; and having ascended with the assumed nature now deified, he sat at the right hand of the Father.

But so that the event might not become for them a cause of sorrow—for it was likely to cast upon them infinite pain, the deprivation of the Master—the good Shepherd took care even of this. For he sent down ^D two angels, who revealed his ascent into the heavens and filled them with a certain wondrous and ineffable joy, by promising that he would return in this same way with glorious brightness. Therefore, having worshiped, they returned home gladly, awaiting in the upper room the coming of the Paraclete. Their occupation was prayer, as it also seems to the divine Luke; for having enumerated the list of the eleven, he then adds: "And all these were persevering with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his..."

brethren," until they received the divine Paraclete, ^A who descended substantially ten days after the Ascension, ^B or fifty days from the three-day resurrection.

Chapter XXXVII

On the reason why the Lord’s resurrection was on the third day, and also why he ascended into heaven on the fortieth day.

Verily, perhaps some one of those who by their zeal for learning shrink from no labor, and who take delight in investigating matters of this kind, may have asked for what reason the Lord's resurrection was on the third day, but his return into heaven took place on the fortieth day; and why, moreover, the divine Spirit, as had been promised, descended upon the apostles ten days after that, and fifty days from the holy resurrection. For my part, I think that nothing was done by the Savior Word rashly, or by any chance, or without some singular consideration; but that, as is fitting, he brought all things to pass with reason and becoming order, even though the difficulty of comprehending such knowledge surpasses the grasp of the human mind. To me, indeed, while daring to reach for things beyond understanding and knowledge, it seems that the Lord of the universe brought about his own resurrection on the third day because there are three principal orders, or ages, of human life since we were cast out of our native land: those, namely, who lived before the law, those who lived under the law itself, and finally those who came after them (who are also partakers of the life that is by grace). It was required that he who had undertaken to die for the salvation of all should restore the world by a three-day resurrection, and thereby seal for each portion of the race the freedom from corruption and destruction, ^C confirming this by a proportional and fitting measure of his descent into Hades, or rather, of his bodily stay and death in the sepulcher.

But if it should please anyone to refer the resolution of the human race into its first elements, and its restitution, to the cause of the Lord’s resurrection—and to affirm that because it was accomplished by the Trinity, the perfecter of all things, death was abolished by the Lord of all in three days—my own contemplative reflection will not dissent from his. For Lazarus, being a type and exemplar of worldly corruption and elemental resolution and regeneration, is restored to the fated order, yet one still subject to death, which Christ himself had established in the same number of elemental principles.

But on the fortieth day the Lord returns to heaven and the paternal throne; for the Law, being a type and figure of things to come, permitted to those who were born from corruption, through this number, as if through a sacred guide, ^D access and entrance into the holy places. For that very reason also, Christ, now become the firstborn from the dead and asserting the immortality of his own creature through this restitution, enters in splendor into the supernal and uncreated holy of holies, which is holier than all holy things, and is taken up.

^A

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

I find that the fiftieth day is holy, not only because it draws its origin from a holy root—namely, from that day which, in its circular revolution into itself, gives birth to it, the day on which the Creator Himself rested from all the works He had willed, whether in His pilgrimage or in the constitution of the world—but also because it fulfilled the type and image of that perpetual day of remission which knows no evening. For this reason, even to those who lived according to the old letter, it granted, as if exhibited through a shadow, the liberty of all things, while the circular ^B course of years rested in this number; and, as I suppose, these things which were then being accomplished indicated that after this septenary circuit of our life, which is subject to fate and servitude, that day would arrive in which we must be taken back into our ancient state, and our pristine and celestial liberty restored. Since, therefore, the advent of the Holy Spirit has now also come to establish for us a new mode of life, and to awaken us from the dark and murky night of the present life toward that very day, for this reason He arrives on this day. But it is the tenth day after the Ascension, because just as the septenary, circling back into itself, brings forth the fiftieth day of remission, so also the third, revolving into ^C itself, creates for us this holy day of the substantial advent of the Spirit. This was indeed consistent and in agreement, not only on account of the divine Trinity of the Prince of all things, but also because the Word, being the third in the Trinity, accomplished this great work of the resuscitation and restitution of the world by a more mystical reason, as we have briefly discussed above. It has been said, however, by some, that the Spirit, the other Paraclete, came on the tenth day after the Ascension because, as the God-Word was returning with the assumed human nature that had been beheld, each rank of the ninefold hierarchy of angels, coming forward one by one—in regard to that which had become co-divine with the assumed nature—consecrated their worship ^D together with the divine Word to the One who had most wisely ordered the matters of the reconciliation of our race; and that after this, He sent the divine Paraclete as the promise. Thus, it has occurred to us to speak of these things; for the Word accomplished nothing in vain or without divine contemplation. But if there be any other mystical meaning, worthy of the love of Jesus Christ, those who gaze with eyes that look into the depths of the ineffable things that are mystically accomplished would be able to know. As for the honor of the Trinity,

^A

Chapter XXXIX

That Josephus himself also makes mention of our Savior Jesus Christ in the eighteenth book of his Histories, and what words he uses concerning Him.

Indeed, the things that are recorded concerning Christ in the book of the holy Gospels are, as far as they could be set forth as briefly as possible, of this manner. I now deem it remains to produce also Josephus, the lover of truth among the Hebrews, and to append to this first book of the histories, as a kind of crowning finish, what he left written in the eighteenth book of the Antiquities concerning our Savior Jesus Christ. For when he had set forth concerning John the Forerunner those things which we reviewed a little earlier, he then writes concerning Christ in these very words: "At that time there arose Jesus, a wise man, if indeed it is right to call him a man. For he was a worker of wondrous works, a teacher of men who gladly receive the truth. And he drew to himself many both of the Jews and of the Greek superstition. This was the Christ. And when ^B Pilate had condemned him to the punishment of the cross on the accusation of the leading men among us, those who had first loved him did not cease to follow him. For he appeared to them on the third day again alive, the divine prophets having foretold these and other wondrous things concerning him. And even to this day, the tribe of those named Christians from him has not failed." These things Josephus ^C says.

Chapter XL

Concerning the divine and human figure and form of the face and body of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, the configuration of the form of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we have received it from the ancients, was, so far as it is possible to grasp it roughly in words, of such a kind. He was very pleasant in appearance, but as to the stature, or the proportion of the body, he was seven full spans in height, having hair that was slightly tawny and not very thick, but rather inclining somewhat to the curly. He had black brows, and they were not greatly curved; his eyes were of a certain tawny color, and gently inclining to yellow. He was well-eyed and had a noble nose. However, the hair of his beard was of a tawny color, and not let down very long. But he wore the hair of his head rather long. For neither did a razor ever ascend upon his head, nor the hand of any man, except that of his mother in his tender age alone. His neck was inclined slightly, so that he was not of an overly rigid and extended bodily posture. Furthermore, his complexion resembled that of wheat, not red-

- ^A nor did he happen to have a round face, but one that descended slightly, just as his mother’s did, and it was tinted with a faint rosy hue, insofar as it revealed the dignity and intelligence of his character, as well as his gentleness and his utter lack of irascibility. Indeed, in all respects he was similar to his divine and entirely spotless Mother.

So much for these matters. This first book of my history encompasses a period of thirty-three years, beginning from the year forty-two of the reign of Augustus Caesar, which was already drawing to a close, at which time our Lord Jesus Christ proceeded in the flesh ^B from the holy Virgin; and it concludes at the nineteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, which was then just beginning, at which time it was the year 5539 from the creation of the world, and the thirty-third from the divine birth of our Lord.

NICEPHORUS CALLISTUS XANTHOPULUS, ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, VOLUME II. CHAPTER I [/h6]

How the teaching of the Gospel began...

NICEPHORUS CALLISTUS XANTHOPULUS ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY VOLUME II

CHAPTER I How after the ascension of the Lord, Matthias was co-opted into the number of the twelve apostles.

^A In the first book, we set forth what was necessary concerning the divinity of the Word and the most ancient origin of the Christian doctrine—which is to say, the standard of living according to the precept of the Gospel, which existed alongside the world itself and was practiced as if in shadow by those men of old who were beloved by God; furthermore, that the appellations of our Savior were held in great honor in antiquity, and how the kingdom of the Jews was conducted from the very beginning down to Herod; furthermore, concerning the appearance and presence of the Savior Christ on earth, together with his life and teachings; and in addition, concerning the election of the apostles, his baptism, divine passion, resurrection, ^B and his return into the heavens, and finally the restoration of the world. Next, we shall briefly traverse those things which took place after the ascension of the Savior, dwelling pleasantly upon the deeds of the apostles: where and how the life-bearing Word spread throughout the inhabited world, whatever the effects and works of each of them were through the Spirit, and what end of life each one had, and what Churches they established among the nations; and finally, to whom they left the successions of their office. These things we shall gather partly from the divine Scriptures, and partly we shall bring them forward from other historical accounts, as each place affords the opportunity.

Therefore, when the sacred and divine apostles had returned from the Mount of Olives to the house of John the Evangelist situated on Zion (where, as ancient tradition holds, the Mother of God also lived, guarded by the virgin and disciple until her life-bearing death), ^C and had given themselves to prayer and supplication—

^A soon, when about one hundred and twenty persons had gathered, Peter, acting as the first to speak, judged it necessary to complete the number of the apostolic election to twelve; and thus, from among those sixty-two who were outstanding in both word and deed, he put forward one for each, so that one of them might take the place of the ministry in the stead of Judas, who had betrayed his own Master. Justus and Matthias were those chosen. And when the sacred lots were cast with the prayer that was appropriate, so that he who was suitable for the ministry of the Word might be made manifest by an indication or sign from above, the lot fell upon Matthias; and straightway he fulfilled the holy choir, having been numbered with the twelve apostles by the laying on of hands.

CAPUT II. Concerning the sudden coming of the holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; and the miracles wrought through the Apostles; and concerning the unanimity and manner of life of the believers; and the election of the seven deacons.

And indeed the tenth day from the Ascension was present, and the fiftieth from the Resurrection, and they were all gathered together in the upper room. And straightway, it being the third hour of the day, a certain violent sound was echoed abroad, as if a sudden blast of wind were rushing, filling the whole house; and tongues of fire, equal in number to the disciples, divided and were seen to sit upon the head of each one of them. And from there, becoming filled with the all-holy Spirit, they spoke in different languages the glory of God, and preached the divinity of Jesus to those who had run to the spot. For the multitude, he says, was thrown into confusion by the sound of the thunder, and were running about the room, listening to the diversity of the tongues. ^C For there were present, because of the celebration of the day, from almost every part of the world, Parthians, Medes and Elamites, Syrians at the same time as Arabs, Romans and Jews, Phrygians and Cappadocians; and they were so astonished at the miracle—that some understood what was being spoken, while others did not, to the point of accusing them of drunkenness and reviling them with the varied and different chatter of those inquiring—that the divine Peter, opening his inspired mouth, and showing the reason for the tongues, said that it was not wine, but the holy Spirit, who had been promised by those who saw God, Joel, to be poured out by God upon all flesh in the last days. ^D And he set forth the matter, relating with adamant words the events concerning the Savior. And he exhorted all to use repentance, and to be baptized in the saving name of Jesus, and to receive the Spirit; for he confirmed that the promise was for them and their children, and for whomever the Lord should call. And straightway about three thousand approached the divine baptism, who also continued in the communion, in doctrine at the same time, and in prayer, and in the breaking of bread with the apostles. And many signs through the divine apostles

^A were performed, and fear was upon every soul. Many sold their possessions, laying them at the feet of the apostles, and took only what was necessary for their use. All things were common to all, and they were in one place; nor was it lawful for anyone to say that they possessed anything of their own. Ananias and Sapphira, who thought to act otherwise, having lied to the divine Spirit, were suddenly taken away by death. They also gathered in the temple, praising God and partaking of food with simplicity of heart. As the greatest number approached to be deemed worthy of the divine baptism, divine power and virtue followed the apostles; and there was no evil that did not flee with the utmost speed at their presence and touch. Therefore, those worn out by chronic diseases were laid before the doors and in the open air in the streets, so that, if they might at least partake of the shadow of Peter, they might be freed from the sickness by which they were weighed down. Among these was he who, deprived of the use of his feet from his birth, sat at the temple: for at the touch of the apostolic hands, his limbs were restored and he was seen leaping. From this, envy arose against them, which urged that the name of Jesus be suppressed in the depths of silence. But to them this was by no means tolerable; and again preaching the word with boldness, they were placed in public custody. But being led out from there by angels, and having entered the temple, they continued to do the same as before. ^B Thereafter a council was gathered by Annas and Caiaphas; and Gamaliel, who was easily the leader among them, persuaded and advised them that the work of the apostles should not be prohibited; for it was necessary for it to settle and obtain if it seemed so to God; and he told them to observe again and again, lest they undertake a war against God. He also brought forward into the midst a certain Theudas and Judas the Galilean, who had resisted the first census and description with a gathered multitude of men, and, because they had acted counter to the will of God, had perished. Then they caused the apostles to be punished with stripes, and upon releasing them, commanded that they neither speak nor act any longer in the name of Jesus. But when a great multitude was flowing more and more to the faith, indignation and murmuring arose among the Greeks, because their widows were neglected. Thus Stephen, and with him six men, partakers of the divine Spirit, were ordained, having been chosen for public ministry by prayer and the imposition of hands. As for the apostles themselves, they determined that they should devote themselves solely to the Word. ^C CHAPTER III. Concerning the ordination of James, brother of God, and an exposition concerning the lineage of Joseph, the spouse of Mary, and of John the Baptist, and of the pure Theotokos; excerpted from the writings of Clement the compiler, Evodius, and Hippolytus, who were successors of the apostles. Indeed, even James, who was called the brother of the Lord, because he was the son of Joseph the spouse, and the mother of Jesus was the spouse of Joseph, on account of ^D the excellent

^A virtue and other principal ornaments, they name "the Just," and create him the first bishop of the Church of Jerusalem. Clemens, the compiler, attests to this in the sixth book of his *Dispositions*, writing in this manner: "Peter and James and John, whom the Lord had deemed worthy of special honor, did not seek glory after His ascension, but chose James the Just as bishop of Jerusalem." In the seventh book of the same subject matter, he also recounts these things concerning him: "To James the Just, and to John, and to Peter, the Lord imparted knowledge and understanding after the resurrection. These in turn imparted it to the rest of the apostles, and they in turn to others, seventy in number, of whom one was also Barnabas. There were two Jameses: the one, the Just, who was cast down from the pinnacle of the temple and beaten to death with a fuller's club; the other, whom Herod beheaded." Paul also makes mention of this Just one, writing: "But others of the apostles I saw none, except James the Lord's brother." ^B Furthermore, the divine Evodius, who was also a successor to the holy apostles, wrote in his Commentaries, and especially in the epistle which he entitled *The Light*, the following: "Christ," he says, "baptized only Peter with His own hands; Peter afterwards baptized Andrew and the sons of Zebedee; and Andrew and the sons of Zebedee baptized the remaining apostles. And those seventy were baptized by Peter and John the Theologian." He adds furthermore these words: "Between the baptism and the passion of Christ, three years passed; from the passion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, until the stoning of Stephen, seven years; from the martyrdom of Stephen ^C until the light shone upon Paul, six months; from the time the light shone upon Paul until the passing of the holy Theotokos, three years. He says that the whole time from the birth of Christ until the passing of the holy Theotokos was forty-four years. The entire duration of her life was fifty-nine years. For when she was three years old, she was presented in the temple, and there she spent eleven years in the Holy of Holies. And then she was handed over by the hands of the priests to Joseph for guardianship; having spent four months in the house of Joseph, she received the joyful message from the angel Gabriel. She brought forth the light of the world herself, being in her fifteenth year, on the twenty-fifth day of the month of December. Thereafter she lived another thirty-three years, which the ^D eternal and pre-temporal Word and her Son also spent on earth. After the torment of the cross, she completed eleven years in the house of John, so that the years of her life, gathered together, total fifty-nine. In that very house of John, the Lord instituted the first mystical Paschal feast with His disciples. From there, having sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives, to the estate of Gethsemani. There, because of their fear of the Jews, the disciples were hiding. There, in that place, with the doors shut, He appeared to the disciples, and breathed upon their faces, and the

^A Holy Spirit He imparts. There, on the eighth day, the matters concerning Thomas were confirmed. There, the Holy Spirit descended in the appearance of tongues at Pentecost. There, they also ordained the righteous James as the first bishop of Jerusalem, and set forth Stephen and the six other deacons.

Of John’s Possession of the House on Mount Sion

They say that John acquired this house after the death of his father, Zebedee, who is reported to have been the master of his own ship and a man of note among the inhabitants of Galilee. For upon his death, he left the inheritance in Galilee to both his sons, James and John. John, therefore, sold the portion which had fallen to him from the inheritance to Caiaphas, who was the high priest in that year. On account of this sale, he was also known to him, as he says in his own Gospel. ^B Having thus disposed of the property that had come to him in Galilee, he acquired another house in Jerusalem on the so-called holy Sion, where the most pure mother of Christ spent her life until her final day. Her brother James did the same; for he, too, having disposed of his goods in Galilee, came to Jerusalem, where he was preaching the saving word to the twelve tribes of Israel.

It would not be untimely, I think, to insert into this history what the divine Hippolytus, who was bishop of Portus near Rome, left in written record concerning James, the brother of God: “Joseph,” he says, “the carpenter, by his wife Salome (who was indeed the daughter of Haggai, the brother of Zechariah the prophet and father of John the Baptist; and Zechariah and Haggai were sons of Barachiah the priest), begat ^C four male children: James, Simeon, Judah, and Josen; and likewise two daughters, Esther and Thamar; so that Salome herself and John the Baptist were children of two brothers. For Haggai is indeed the son of Barachiah and uncle of John; likewise also Zechariah is the brother of Haggai and uncle of Salome, the wife of Joseph.” By Salome, I do not mean the midwife in Bethlehem (for that woman of Bethlehem was a cousin of Elizabeth, and of the holy Virgin Mary, as the holy Gospel according to Luke indicates), for there were three sisters of Bethlehem, daughters of Matthan the priest and his wife Mary, living under the reign of Cleopatra and Casopar the Persian, before the reign of Herod, son of Antipater. The first was named Mary, the second Sobe, and the third Anna. The first, Mary, married in Bethlehem and gave birth to Salome ^D the midwife. The second, Sobe, likewise married in Bethlehem and gave birth to Elizabeth. Finally, the third, Anna, married in the land of Galilee and gave birth to Mary the Theotokos, from whom Christ the Truth rose for us. So that Salome, that midwife, and Elizabeth, [and the Theotokos, were daughters of three sisters.]

[alt-version omitted]

Hence the Baptist John, and Jesus our true God, are said to be cousins, or even first cousins. Christ is said to be the son of Joseph, because he was considered the brother of his sons, on account of the familiar association and relationship with Aggaeus, brother of Zacharias the priest. ^A Such are the words of Hippolytus.

CAPUT IV.

Concerning the Hebrew high priests, who succeeded in order from Aaron himself to James, the first bishop of Jerusalem, and even up to the capture of Jerusalem itself.

I, too, shall append to this history those high priests who held office from Aaron down to this James, the brother of the Lord, until the city was taken. The third son of Jacob was Levi; of him was Caath; of him, again, was the other Abraham, from whom were born Moses and Aaron. Moses was the leader of the people of Israel on their journey out of Egypt; but Aaron was the first high priest anointed by his brother Moses.

Therefore, first was Aaron; second, Eleazar; third, Phinees; fourth, Eliezer; fifth, Bocchi; sixth, Ozi; seventh, Eli; eighth, Achitob, under whom Samuel the seer was both prophet, priest, and judge of the people. Ninth, Abimelech, whom Saul slew, together with other priests, because of the kindness shown to David. Tenth, ^C Abiathar, who alone survived of those slain priests. Eleventh, Sadoc, under whom the temple was built by Solomon; then Achimaas; thirteenth, Azarias; then Joram; after him Jodas, who lived for a hundred and thirty years; he slew Godolia, who wished to extinguish the lineage of David. Following him in order were Axioram, Phadaeus, Sudmus, another Iculus, and the twentieth, Joathamus; him followed Urias, who oversaw the sacred rites in the times of Achaz and Ezechias; then Neri, Joas, Selam, and Chelicias, who administered the priesthood under pious Josias. After him was ^D Sareas; then Josedec, under whom the people were led captive by Nabuchodonosor; afterwards Jesus, son of Josedec, under whom the Jews were released from captivity by Cyrus; he, together with Zorobabel, presided over the Jewish nation. To him succeeded Joachim, under whom Esdras read the laws. Thirtieth was Eliaseph; then Joachaz, under whom the events concerning Esther and Mardochaeus occurred. Then followed Joannes, and likewise Jadaeus, in whose time the temple on Mount Garizim was built; then Onias, Simon, Eleazar, under whom [(the 6th)] the books were translated into the Greek language by the seventy-two interpreters, in accordance with the judgment of Ptolemy the Second; then Manasses, Onias, Simon. The fortieth was Onias; then Jesus, and another Onias, under whom the dire events befell the people at the hand of Antiochus Epiphanes; Alcimus, whom [...]

^A Antiochus, not being of the priestly tribe, appointed as high priest after slaying Onias. In his time also Onias, the son of Onias, fleeing into Egypt, built a temple there similar to that in Jerusalem, in the Heliopolitan nome. The forty-fourth, from the sons of Asamonaeus, was Judas Maccabeus. To him succeeded in order his brother Jonathas, and again his brother Simon; Joannes, who was also called Hyrcanus; Aristobulus, who first placed the diadem upon himself; Jannaeas, who also had the name Alexander. The fiftieth, moreover, was Hyrcanus, under whom Pompey, the Roman general, having sacked the city, took away also the sacred treasures of the temple. The fifty-first was Antigonus, ^B who, on account of his enmity toward Hyrcanus, brought the Parthians against the temple, and was cast out of the priesthood by Herod. The fifty-second was Anaelus, created high priest by Herod even though he was not of the high-priestly lineage. The fifty-third was Aristobulus, whom Herod placed in office after rejecting Anaelus; and again, having slain Aristobulus by treachery, he reinstated Anaelus. Jesus the son of Phabes (5) succeeded Anaelus. Then Simon, the father-in-law of Herod, became high priest; after him, Matthias; then Josephus, whom Jozarus succeeded. The sixtieth was Eleazarus, under whom Herod perished miserably. And in true order there succeeded Jesus the son of Sae, Ananus the father-in-law of Caiphas (6), Ismael the son of Phabi (7), Eleazarus the son of Ananus, Simon the son of Camithus. The sixty-seventh was ^C Caiphas, who was also called Josephus, under whom our Lord for our sake underwent the saving passion. After him was Jonathas the son of Ananus, Theophilus his brother, Simon the son of Boethus, then again Jonathas the son of Ananus; after him his brother Matthias, then Elinaeus; again Josephus the son of Camy; whom followed Ananus the son of Ananus (9), who slew James the brother of the Lord, the first hierarch of Jerusalem. To whom also Paul, using great boldness of speech, said: "God shall strike thee, thou whited wall" (Acts XXIII, 3). To him succeeded Jesus the son of Gamaliel, and to him Mathias the son of Theophilus; under whom, in the eighth year of Claudius Caesar, the war against the Romans was undertaken and had its beginning. The last of all was Phineus, under whom the city, the temple, and the whole nation were taken by Titus, and all things of the temple and the law were utterly extinguished and brought to ruin. And these matters stand thus. But let us return from this digression to the history of apostolic affairs.

CHAPTER V. On Stephen the protomartyr, and Paul the vessel of election.

^A Stephen possessed abundant grace of the Spirit and performed many wonders. But since, being powerful in the strength of his speech, he did not cease from his public preaching, persuading all to worship the Savior and Lord, he kindled the Jewish people into a frenzy. Being overwhelmed by them with a mountain of stones, he was the first to bind upon himself the crown of martyrdom for Christ. Yet while he still breathed, illumined by divine glory, he beheld the heavens opened, and the Savior standing at the right hand of God, as if to strengthen him. And he, his soul yearning entirely for the One desired, prayed for his murderers, that God should not hold their sin against them in account. Thus, then, he passed to God.

^B From this arose the greatest and first persecution by the Jews against the Church in Jerusalem, and all the disciples, except the twelve, were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Some of these reached as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, not yet daring to impart the word of faith to the gentiles, but preaching it only to the Jews. At that time, Paul also—who was from the city of Tarsus, and in the ancestral law was a Pharisee, having been educated with precision under the teacher Gamaliel, and burning with legal zeal—seeing the Church already being shaken by apostolic incursions, was severely ravaging it. For first, he was an accomplice in the putting to death of Stephen, and he kept the garments of those who cast the stones at him. He made forays into the houses of the faithful, and like some wild and fierce beast, dragged off men and women and delivered them into prisons. But later, when he was breathing out even more intense threats, and requesting letters from the priests—permitting him legal impunity for whatever opposition he might undertake at his own discretion against the Church in Damascus—this vessel of election, not from men, nor through men, but through the revelation of Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead, is revealed as a very great Apostle. Having his sight extinguished by heavenly light and being drawn back from his course by a voice from above saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" he, when Ananias had laid hands upon him through a revelation, received his sight again. And, being more illumined in his soul, he immediately began to stand for us as fiercely as he had previously breathed against us, so that as quickly as possible he was presenting to everyone he encountered, from the Scriptures, that Christ is the true God. He provoked such hatred among his own countrymen—who, in their tangled arguments, possessed an unanswerable defense—that they secretly sought to plot his death; and for this reason, they kept watch at the gates of the city of Damascus. But when the disciples learned of the plot, they let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket. And when he had arrived in Jerusalem, he attempted to join himself to the disciples. But they, suspecting the guile of Paul, avoided him.

^A nor could they be persuaded that he held the same opinions as they did; for they knew accurately that he had been an adversary, and indeed breathing out fire against the Church. So had not Barnabas—a man notable among the rank of the seventy—confirmed by his own speech that the things which he professed were true, and testified that he had seen what he was doing, he would have departed empty-handed. But now he is received; and doing the same things, he disputed with those in Jerusalem, and persuaded them that Christ is the true God. But when the Hellenists set themselves against him, and were planning to kill the man, he obtained the protection of the disciples and was brought down to Caesarea; from there he was sent to Tarsus, increasing the Church of Christ, and always adding to those who believe. ^B But these things belong to a later time.

CHAPTER VI

When the persecution against Stephen was first aroused, Philip, one of those who were elected with Stephen to the diaconate, having become part of the diaspora, settled in Samaria, being exceedingly powerful in the working of miracles. ^C Indeed, he possessed such a surplus of power that he persuaded even Simon to abandon his craft, by which he had long led the people astray with magical illusions. For he had seized that people with his sorceries, and was so renowned for his deceptions at that time that they considered Simon to be the great power of God. But Simon, although he was such as this, yet being struck with amazement at the wondrous deeds performed by Philip, which were beyond the opinion and belief of men, underwent baptism along with the rest of Samaria, and feigned until the matter of his words his faith in Christ. This is what others also did, who had embraced his abominable ^D sect, distributing the poisonous venom hidden by their founder in themselves, as much as they were able, to those who received it—people who, however, were afterwards deservedly rejected when their malice and perversity were discovered. Just as this Simon himself, when he was plainly detected by divine Peter, who was bestowing the Spirit through the laying on of hands, in thinking that the grace was something to be bought with money, was for that reason rejected and pushed away as a man of no account. And so, stung by envy, he armed himself against the apostles and their doctrine. Furthermore, as the divine preaching was already creeping like fire through the whole earth, the Candace—the dynast of the Queen of the Ethiopians; for by some ancestral custom the nation was ruled by a woman—by a certain divine economy becomes the first-fruits of those from the Gentiles who come to Christ; for by an epiphany, while Philip was traveling along the road...

^A, and was initiated into the mysteries of our doctrine by a single passage of Isaiah the prophet, and had received baptism, since he was returning to his ancestral land, he was the first to preach the knowledge of God and our Savior to those in Ethiopia. And thus that which was of the prophecy was fulfilled in him as an act: Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hand to God. Following these things, the matters concerning Paul, as we touched upon a little above, were brought to pass. Peter also came to Lydda and Sharon, and by a word healed Aeneas, who had been bedridden for thirty-eight years. Being in Joppa, and with a crowd of the poor and all who lived in widowhood standing around him and beseeching him on behalf of the deceased Tabitha, showing him the garments and whatever other things Dorcas used to give them as she was able, he restored her to life more quickly than a word could tell; and the whole multitude he led to the saving laver. From there ^B he performed the duties concerning the centurion Cornelius in Caesarea, after having seen the sheet let down from above from the four corners. And indeed, as he was speaking to Cornelius and those with him, the grace of the Spirit suddenly descended; and the grace was clearly made manifest by the variety of tongues. By these things having been brought about unexpectedly by God, the divine washing through water followed; although those of the circumcision ^C, not understanding the grace, when Peter returned to Jerusalem, were exceedingly angry that he had shared salt and table and the mysteries with men who were circumcised in the flesh. But upon learning the matter, they immediately quieted down, their minds being struck with wonder that God had indeed granted repentance to the Gentiles unto life. Those, however, who had been scattered in Phoenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch ^D, were preaching the things of the faith only to the Jews. But certain Cypriots and Cyrenians, having come to Antioch, with the divine hand helping them, brought a great multitude of the Hellenists, and a number superior to them, to the faith; and when this became known to the Church in Jerusalem, it hastened to send Barnabas as far as Antioch. He, being filled with divine grace, sought out Paul from Tarsus, and together they arrived in Antioch. And having taught for a whole year, they brought countless multitudes to Christ, and there they decreed that the disciples should first be called Christians. And Agabus, one of the prophets who were with them, foretold the coming famine. Paul and Barnabas, however, were sent to all places to minister to the brethren because of the famine that had set in.

Chapter VII. What happened at Edessa under Abgar, through the apostle Thaddaeus, and regarding the image of the Savior Christ, painted without human hands.

^A It is also necessary to know this, that the divinity and miracle-working power of our Savior, having been spread throughout the entire earth, drew many even from far-distant regions with the hope of healing incurable diseases. Whence the toparch Abgar, governing his realm beyond the Euphrates with praise, was also oppressed by an incurable malady. Since he had heard of the name of Jesus, which was spreading greatly throughout the land—and indeed, facts bore witness to the report—he became a suppliant to him by letter, asking for release from his sickness. He [Jesus], however, did not comply with coming, but nonetheless sent him a reply written with his own hands, explaining that it was necessary for him, after he had accomplished the things commanded by the Father, to return to Him. "When it shall come to pass," he wrote, "that I am to make my journey to Him, I will send one of my disciples, Thaddaeus by name, who shall both heal your suffering and become a provider of a greater life to you and those with you."

^B And so, after the resurrection from the dead and the ascension into heaven, Thomas, one of the Twelve, by a certain divine impulse, sends Thaddaeus—who was recognized as being one of the Seventy—to Edessa as a herald and evangelist, so that through him all things concerning Christ might have their fulfillment. And indeed, Thaddaeus, having arrived there, took up lodging with a certain Tobias and was healing every disease. When Abgar heard of this, and remembered the things sent to him by Jesus, he immediately summoned him. Upon casting his eyes on him, and being struck by the light flashing from his countenance, he fell before those who were standing by him and paid the reverence of adoration to Thaddaeus. He inquired carefully whether he was a disciple of Jesus, who had written the letter to him.

^C He replied that he was indeed his, and that for this very reason he had come, to fulfill the faithful with faith. And that if he remained in his previous resolve, he would see greater things and the desires of his heart would be fully realized. He said, "I believe in such a way that I would choose to take up power and raise war against those who crucified him, were it not for the fear of the Romans, to whom we bow our necks." But Thaddaeus said, "Our Lord Jesus is not in need of human hands; having fulfilled the will of his own Father, he was taken up to Him." Abgar said, "But I would have repaid what is due to faith, to him and to his Father." ^D "If this is so," Thaddaeus added, "behold, in the name of Jesus Christ I lay my hand upon you." And at the touch, the disease was put to flight and vanished. And he was restored in an instant, just as he had been before the disease. And not only he, but also his servant Abdas, who was also suffering in his feet from the sickness. Many others also of the city, contending with various diseases, were quickly, by prayer and touch, liberated from their...

^A grave afflictions. Following this, having gathered the entire city, the apostle explained to them the entire dispensation concerning our Savior Christ. Having initiated them into more perfect mysteries, and having deemed them worthy of the divine laver, and having appointed priests as was necessary, and having arranged all other matters well, he dedicated that entire city to God. From that time forth, when money was sent to the apostle by Abgar, he refused to receive it, saying, “If we have left behind our own possessions, how shall we take those of others?”

The letter of Abgar to Christ, which he sent by the courier and runner Ananias, containing as it were in a draft, included these very words: ^B “I have heard about you and your healings, how without medicines or herbs you provide, by word alone, sight to the blind, walking to the lame, cleansing to the lepers, and proper health to those oppressed by long-standing diseases, and how you perform many other works greater and beyond our power. For this reason, I have set my mind to consider that you are one of two things: either you are God, and having left the heavens, you have come down to us; or you are the Son of God, performing such paradoxical deeds. For this reason I have written, beseeching you to take the trouble to come to me and deliver me from the malady which has long oppressed me. I am also persuaded that the Jews are ill-disposed toward you and do not hold good opinions about you; but I possess a city, small and insignificant indeed, yet it will suffice for both of us.”

Since Abgar, by writing, could in no way persuade him—for he had despaired of Jesus' coming—he remained in perplexity by his written reply; ^C yet, being held by a desire for Christ, he sent a man who was well-skilled in painting. He commanded him to map out the likeness of his face precisely and to bring that form back to him in place of the one he desired. The man came, and standing at an elevated position, he attempted to paint him as was fitting, but he could not succeed in the work, because the divine radiance and grace flashing from his face stood in his way, preventing him. When the Savior realized what was happening, he asked for a piece of linen, and having washed his own face and wiped it upon the linen, he sent it to Abgar.

The report also says that the king of the Persians had sent a painter, who was naturally quick with his hands, desiring with a fervent ^D faith to obtain, as quickly as possible, a painted image of Christ himself and of the one who had supernaturally given birth to him. These things were gathered from the records of the city of Edessa, which was then ruled by royal authority; for they had been set down in the public archives. The books concerning the affairs of Abgar contained these things as well, having been translated from the language of the Syrians, and I consider them to have been appropriately set forth by me in this place.

CHAPTER VIII.

Now that the wonderful word had been spread everywhere on earth, the resurrection, the ascension, and the other miracles that bore witness to the divine power were being spoken of publicly by everyone. A custom had already prevailed for many years that those who had been allotted prefectures or provinces should signal to the Caesar who held the supreme empire any new events that occurred separately under them, so that he might in no way be ignorant of any matters whatsoever. Therefore, Pilate, writing to Caesar Tiberius about the resurrection from the dead and the other prodigies of Jesus Christ, reported both the most of his affairs and that, being resurrected from the dead and having survived death itself, he was already believed by many to be a God, and indeed the foremost God among others. Tiberius referred this matter to the Roman senate. But the senate, under the pretext—for that indeed was the judgment on whether it should be deliberated—that he had not, according to old custom, been previously referred to the gods by the vote of the senate itself, ^B decreed that it was not to be a matter for deliberation; but in reality, because the instruction of the divine doctrine stood in no need whatever of human assistance. Yet, even if the senate had rejected the word concerning the Savior in that manner, Caesar stood by his own opinion, and was not an impediment to the saving preaching. Tertullian, a man of distinction and famous for his accurate knowledge of Roman laws and acts, left this written for us in his Apology for the Christians, which was written by him in the Latin language, but translated into Greek; in which he recounts these things, writing thus: "But that we may also discuss the origin of such laws, it was an ancient decree that no god should be consecrated by an emperor unless he was approved by the senate. Tiberius, therefore, in whose time the Christian name entered into the world, when the truth of this doctrine ^C was announced to him from Palestine (for that is where its first beginnings had taken root), referred it to the senate with the privilege of his own vote. The senate, because it had not itself approved, rejected it. Caesar remained in his opinion, having threatened death to the accusers of the Christians." ^D By heavenly providence, surely, through an orderly and fitting arrangement, having provided this for him so that, with no obstacle standing in the way, the word of the Gospel might run its course throughout all lands everywhere. Thus, indeed, by heavenly power and cooperation, suddenly, like a ray of the sun, the saving word illuminated the entire habitable world. For immediately, in accordance with the prescription of the divine Scriptures: "Their sound is gone out into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world" (Ps. XVIII, 5). And so, throughout all cities and villages, like a most abundant harvest, very frequent and numerous Churches were everywhere constituted; and those who, through the succession of their ancestors, had had their souls hardened by the ancient disease of idolatrous superstition, were, by the power of Christ, through the teaching and at the same time the wonder-working of his disciples, as if from cruel masters

and hardest bonds set free, they spat out all that multitude of devilish gods, and confessed there to be one only God, who had created all things; him they worshipped by the laws of true piety, and by a divine and sober cult, brought into the human race through our Saviour. ^A

CHAPTER IX

How Gaius succeeded Tiberius; concerning the embassy of Philo to him; what Philo and Josephus relate concerning him; and how, from this, the fury and madness of the Romans against the Jews began.

Tiberius, having ruled for twenty-two years and a half, at his death left the empire to his son Gaius. ^B He immediately placed a diadem upon Agrippa, and declared him king of Judea; and at the same time he committed to him the tetrarchy of Philip and Lysanias. Not long after, he added also the kingdom of Herod, who had killed John, punishing him with perpetual exile in the West, along with Herodias his wife, for very many reasons, as also seems to Josephus. ^C It was at this time that Philo was distinguished, a man famous not only among us but also among secular philosophers. By birth he was a Jew, illustrious among the citizens and magistrates of Alexandria. How great he was in the ancestral disciplines, and how much he laboured in them, the facts themselves declare. But why need I even speak of how great he was in the liberal arts of external philosophy? For, having zealously followed the training according to Plato and Pythagoras to the highest degree, he is said to have surpassed all the philosophers of his time. This man, therefore, has also recorded the events that befell the Jews under Gaius in five books, in which he recounts his deranged state of mind, and the many insults he perpetrated during his reign, and the calamities that the Jews suffered under him. For their sake indeed, he, as an orator, also came to Rome, where, when he delivered a speech before Gaius on behalf of the Jews and their ancestral laws and customs, he received laughter and nothing more in return. ^D Indeed, it was very nearly the case that he even risked his life there, just as Josephus also mentions toward the end of his eighteenth book of Antiquities: "For a sedition having arisen in Alexandria between the Jews who dwelt there and the Greeks, three ambassadors were chosen from each side of the sedition, and they came before Gaius; and one of the Alexandrian ambassadors was Appion, who spoke many blasphemies against the Jews, saying, among other things, that they neglected and despised the honours of Caesar. For while all other peoples who were subject to the Roman empire had dedicated altars and temples to Gaius, and, as for other things, in..."

^A all respects received them as though they were gods, the Jews alone considered it a dishonour to pay homage to the statues or to swear by his name. And although Apion had said many harsh things, by which he hoped to provoke Gaius—as was indeed to be expected—Philo, the leader of the Jewish embassy, a man glorious in all things, the brother of Alexander the Alabarch, and not unskilled in philosophy, was able to proceed to the defense against the accusations. But Gaius shut him out, ordering him to leave his presence; and, being exceedingly angry, he was clearly going to do them some grievous harm. Philo, however, departed, having been treated with contempt; and he said to the Jews who were with him that they must have trust and take heart, for while Gaius was angry with them in his words, in reality God was already standing by as their helper and deliverer. ^B Such is the account of Josephus. But Philo himself also relates in detail what happened during that embassy. I shall pass over other matters, and shall only include in this discourse those things by which it becomes clear that whatever befell the Jews not long after happened because of the piacular temerity which they displayed in the killing of Christ. He reports first, then, that a certain Sejanus, who had gained very great influence with the Emperor Tiberius, had aimed above all else at the utter destruction of the whole Jewish nation. Next, he records that Pilate, the governor of Judea, under whom that crime against Christ was committed—while the temple in Jerusalem was still standing—had done something new and insolent against their laws, ordinances, and customs, and by that act had brought them into great confusion and ^C uprising. Furthermore, he records that after Tiberius, when Gaius had assumed the empire, he had insulted and injured many other people in countless ways, but had especially afflicted the entire Jewish nation with the greatest detriments and disasters. In order that all might understand this from his own speech, I have thought it more fitting to include it here. His words are as follows: "So great was the perversity of Gaius’s character toward all, and especially toward the Jewish nation, to which he was most grievously hostile, that in very many cities, beginning from Alexandria, he was filling their houses of prayer with signs and statues of his own image and form, arrogating them to himself and seizing them by force. But the temple had remained free from all pillage, as he commanded that it should be named for the illustrious Jupiter, the new god, Gaius."

CHAPTER X.

In addition, the same Philo relates that the Jews in Alexandria suffered countless other calamities, going beyond all description, under the aforementioned Gaius, in the ^D secondary...

book, whose title is *On the Virtues*, which he narrates in similar allegorical discourse. ^A Josephus also agrees with him, likewise noting that the calamities of the Jews had their beginning from the times of Pilate and the crimes perpetrated against the Savior. It is worth hearing what he himself records in the second book of the *Jewish War*: “Pilate,” he says, “being sent as procurator into Judea by Tiberius, brought the statues of Caesar into Jerusalem under cover of night, veiled—they are called standards. This novelty, at the break of day, stirred up a very great disturbance among the Jews; for those who stood nearby were struck at the sight, as if their laws had been openly trampled upon—for they considered it a religious duty that no likeness whatsoever be placed in the city.” ^B If anyone were to compare these things with the words of the Gospel, he will find the truth itself, for justice swiftly overtook them on account of the voice which they insolently raised before Pilate, shouting that they had no other king but Caesar.

Shortly after this, the same Josephus records that another calamity overtook them, saying: “After this, Pilate stirred up another disturbance, having consumed the sacred treasury—which is called Corban—upon the construction of an aqueduct, which was led along for three hundred stadia. The multitude was indignant at this indignity and, while Pilate was present in Jerusalem, they gathered around the tribunal and clamored. Now he (for he had foreseen their tumult) mingled with the multitude a number of armed soldiers draped in military cloaks, and while he forbade anyone to use a sword, he commanded them to strike the shouters with clubs, and gave the signal from the tribunal.” ^C And so the Jews being struck, many fell from the blows, and many also perished crushed by their own people during the tumult. The multitude itself, struck by such a great disaster, quieted down. ^D The same historian pursues countless other uprisings and calamities that were kindled by them, through which he asserts and proves that from the time the crime was perpetrated against the Savior, there never ceased to be, both in the city itself and in all of Judea, seditions, tumults, battles, and the incursions of other intolerable disasters one after another, until the final siege of all, under Vespasian, came upon them and utterly destroyed them. Such was the vengeance they experienced divinely for the things the Jews committed against Christ, gradually consuming them.

But in truth, even Pilate himself, the judge of the Savior, while under Tiberius (because Mary Magdalene had gone to Rome and reported the events concerning the Savior there), is said to have been subjected to the greatest insults; then, in the times of Gaius, he is reported to have been oppressed by subsequent extreme calamities, just as those who have compiled the Olympiads of the Greeks and the deeds done therein relate. For he was reduced to such straits of necessity by various and adverse fortune as to become his own executioner and avenger, the divine justice—as it is right to surmise—not being slow to visit him, just as surely it did to Annas and Caiaphas and as many of the scribes and Pharisees as were worthy of their own...

and that he laid hands upon himself, ^A becoming his own avenger, according to divine retribution (for so it is reasonable to conjecture) which overtook him shortly thereafter. The same is said also of Annas, and Caiaphas, and others, the Scribes and Pharisees, who themselves paid worthy and various penalties for the iniquitous and unjust death which they brought upon Christ.

CHAPTER XI. Concerning the reign of Claudius Caesar, who succeeded Gaius; and concerning the famine that occurred under him; and concerning Theudas the impostor.

Then, before four years had exactly elapsed, Gaius, who was then holding the empire, being seized by madness, became so effeminate that he used women's clothing, plaiting, and other such ornaments. Wherefore, having been killed in the baths, he left the empire to his successor, Claudius; under whom it is written ^B that there was that great famine, which Agabus, famous for the gift of prophecy, had also predicted would come. For this reason Barnabas and Saul also were sent from Antioch, conveying collected sustenance for their ministry to the brothers. At that time also, the queen of the Adiabene nation, Helena by name, according to the testimony of Josephus, having purchased grain in Egypt with vast sums of money, transmitted it to those who were in need. Of this Helena, whom the aforementioned historian mentions, renowned statues were seen in the suburbs of Aelia for a long time afterward. The same Josephus also mentions Theudas the impostor and evildoer, of whom mention is also made in the Acts of the Apostles, speaking in these words: ^C “When Fadus was procurator of Judea, a certain impostor, Theudas by name, persuaded an immense multitude of people, having received their property with them, to follow him to the Jordan river; for he claimed to be a prophet. And he promised that by his command he would divide the river and easily provide them a crossing, and saying these things, he deceived many. But Fadus did not allow them to enjoy this madness for long. For he sent a troop of cavalry against them, which, falling upon them unexpectedly, destroyed many and took many captive.” Theudas himself, having been taken alive, they decapitated, and brought his head to Jerusalem.

CHAPTER XII. The martyrdom of the apostle James, son of Zebedee, and brother of John the Theologian.

^D Following this history, the same Josephus adds that great famine, just as Luke does in the Acts, and having set forth that same famine and the ministry of the apostles, he then adds: “Now at that time, under Claudius clearly, Herod the king (whom Josephus calls Agrippa, but Luke calls Herod, because perhaps he was known by two names) laid hands on some of the Church in order to afflict them. And he slew James the brother of John with the sword.”

^A Of whom also Clement, the Stromatist, in the seventh book of his *Hypotyposes*, records something worthy of memory, having said that he received it from tradition handed down from those before him: “That he who led him to martyrdom, seeing him contending with such a noble stance of soul, confessed that he himself also was a Christian. Both, therefore,” he says, “were led away together.” And on the way he asked to be forgiven by James for his offense. James, having reflected for a little while, said, “Peace be with you,” and kissed him; and thus both were beheaded. Herod, however, as the divine Scripture says, seeing that the killing of James was pleasing to the Jews, arrested Peter as well, ^B put him into custody, having bound him with a heavy chain, and had his execution in mind. He would have carried out this impious deed, if an angel had not stood by him at night, loosed him from his bonds, and guided him back again to the ministry of preaching. And these are the matters concerning the divine providence in the case of Peter. But Herod’s attempted attack against the apostles did not rest with impunity, but rather pursued it; and though for the most part it is accustomed to be slow, on this occasion it was immediately at hand.

CHAPTER XIII.

How Agrippa, who is also called Herod, having persecuted the apostles, immediately experienced divine retribution.

For when, after his attempt against the apostles, he had hurried to Caesarea, on an ^C important day, having adorned himself in a radiant garment, and was haranguing the people with a resonant and brilliant voice before the judgment seat, and when upon this the people shouted out, “The voice of God and not of man,” immediately, as the sacred record says, an angel struck him with an invisible blow; and from that point, having become worm-eaten, he breathed his last. And indeed, along with other things, it comes to my mind to marvel at this too: how Josephus, among the Hebrews, seems to agree altogether with the divine Scripture. For I shall set forth in his own words such things as he relates about the death of Herod in the nineteenth book of the *Antiquities*. ^D “The third year,” he says, “of his reigning over all Judea had been completed, and he was present in the city of Caesarea, which was formerly called Strato’s Tower. He was holding there spectacles in honor of Caesar, for his safety, having established this as a festival; and at it, a multitude of those holding offices and honors throughout the province had gathered to him. On the second day of the spectacles, he put on a garment made entirely of silver, so that the weaving was marvelous, and he went into the theater at the beginning of the day. There, the silver, having been illuminated by the first rays of the sun, shone wondrously, gleaming with something fearful and terrifying to those gazing upon it. Immediately his flatterers, with voices that would not even be good for him, shouted out from here and there, hailing him as a god, saying, ‘May you be propitious;’”

^A if hitherto we have feared you as a man, from now on we confess you to be superior to human nature.’ The king did not rebuke them, nor did he repel such impious flattery. But after a little while, looking up, he saw an owl sitting upon a certain rope, and he immediately perceived it to be a messenger of evils, having once been one of good omens. And he felt a pain in his heart, and suddenly a pain in his belly seized him, starting with great intensity. Looking towards his friends, he said, ‘I, your god, am now commanded to depart this life, as the divine decree immediately refutes the voices you falsely applied to me; and I, who was just now called immortal by you, am being led away to die. But one must accept the decree which God has willed; for we have lived in no way poorly, but in the blessed brightness.’ Saying these things, he was worn out by the intensity of the pain. Therefore, with all haste he was carried to the palace. And the report spread to everyone that he would die in a very short time. The whole multitude, together with their wives and children, having put on sackcloth according to the ancestral custom, supplicated God for the king’s safety. And since he was lying in a higher chamber ^B and looking down and seeing them prostrate on their faces, he himself could not restrain his tears: and having been worn out for five continuous days by the pain in his belly, he ended his life, being in his fifty-fourth year of age and the seventh of his reign. He reigned for four years under Gaius Caesar, having administered the tetrarchy of Philip for three years, and acquiring that of Herod in the fourth; and he spent the remaining three years under the empire of Claudius Caesar. ^C He is indeed worthy of admiration, this Josephus, who writes in such harmony with the divine Scriptures.

CHAPTER XIV.

Concerning Simon the sorcerer, and his heresy; and how the divine apostle Peter resisted him, especially in Rome.

Thus, then, as belief in the Savior was being spread over the whole earth, that ancient enemy of our race and our salvation, striving with every effort and fraud to seize and occupy the city which was then the seat of empire, sends thither Simon, a native of the village of Gitthon, who had previously traveled through the East and had filled it with enchantments and impostures; and there, in a short time, ^D he seduces the Roman citizens (a few excepted) with his magical art. He went to such an extent of impiety that, as he was believed to be a god, a magnificent statue was honored in the river Tiber between the two bridges, with this inscription: *Simoni deo sancto*, that is, "To Simon the holy god." From thence he was considered a god not only among the Samaritans, but also in other

^A nations, and is worshipped as the first god. A certain Helena also, who accompanied him, and who had previously been stationed on a roof in Tyre of Phoenicia, where she had made a living by prostituting her body, was deemed worthy of the same honors as he; she is called his "first conception." These things the philosopher and martyr Justin relates in his Apology for our faith, addressed to Antoninus; Irenaeus of Lyons writes similar things in the first book of his work Against Heresies, both of them having lived not long after the times of the apostles; we shall set forth what is appropriate concerning them in its proper place.

Now this Simon is believed to be the leader and ^B first author of every heresy, from whom those who until today continue his opinion, pretending to follow the sober and unadulterated philosophy of life according to Christ, appear indeed to have renounced the error of idols; nevertheless, they cling to it none the less, attempting to worship, with libations and ceremonies, idols and images of this very Simon and of Helena, who has been mentioned. The more secret aspects of their practices are, in truth, full of shock and amazement, being such that they cannot adequately be committed to writing; much less can they be spoken of by sober lips, by reason of their excessive indecency. For whatever may exist or be conceived in thought that is more impure than any filth, this most wicked and execrable heresy has surpassed it all, mocking wretched women burdened with sins.

Such a father and ^C leader, an adversary to the great disciples of Christ, did that guileful and evil power, which plots against human salvation, set forth from the very beginning. But the divine grace and invincible power, assiduously assisting its own ministers, quenched as quickly as possible the torch of evils that was scattering fire everywhere, lowering and casting down every height that raised itself against the knowledge of God. And so, none of the evils that sprung up at that time attained to any stable existence. For the light of the truth was shining forth with supernal radiance; and the Word, newly resplendent from heaven, was blooming and invincible, shining forth through the life of the apostles.

Whence also the aforementioned sorcerer, first in Judaea, was struck in the eyes of his understanding by the divine Peter, as if by some superior radiance, and, ^D thinking in his wretchedness that he could purchase grace, he embarked on a great voyage across the sea and departed from the East toward the West. Having taken possession of the city of the Romans in advance, he was greatly helped in his designs by the power then governing there; in a short time he succeeded so well in his schemes that he brought the whole city under his hand by his enchantments; and, as has been said, by the dedication of a statue, he caused the honors of worship to be paid to him as to a God. But he was not permitted to enjoy his deception for long. For under the same empire—it was that of Claudius—divine Providence, which wisely and humanely disposes all things, sent the protector and as it were the unshakable bulwark of the faith, who because of his virtue

^A and zeal had received from God the primacy over all the apostles, to stand against that wild beast, the slanderer. As a noble general of God, armed with divine weapons, he brought from the East to the West the heavenly light, that is to say, the mystery concerning Christ, and proclaimed the kingdom of heaven with a joyful message. Thus, the evangelical lamp having enlightened the West, at once the error of Simon, and he himself, was extinguished and vanished.

CAPUT XV.

Concerning the Gospel according to Mark, and how the monastic life was first instituted by him in Egypt and Alexandria.

So great was the light of piety which Peter infused into the souls of his hearers, that they were not content with what they had heard, nor were they able to remain satisfied with the unwritten word of God; but they importuned Mark, who at that time was a follower of the apostle, to leave them a record of the unwritten teaching, committed to writing, and they would not depart until they had persuaded the man. ^B Being informed of this by the inspiration of the divine Spirit, the apostle was greatly pleased with the intense longing and desire of those men; accordingly, he approved the writing by his own judgment and ordained that it be read in the Churches. This, therefore, Clement relates in the sixth book of his *Outlines*—that this was the reason for the Gospel written by Mark. Papias, the bishop of Hierapolis, concurs with him. For this reason also, it is called the Gospel of Peter according to Mark. Moreover, Peter makes mention of Mark in his first Epistle, which it is said he composed while staying in Rome, in which he figuratively calls Rome Babylon, saying: *The co-elect church that is in Babylon saluteth you, and so doth Mark my son* ^C (1 Pet. v, 13). Him Luke also calls John in the Acts. They say, furthermore, that this divine Mark was the first to be sent into Egypt and Alexandria, that he preached the Gospel which he had written, established Churches, and gave laws for the solitary life of the Christian monks there. So great a multitude of men and women flocked together from the very first, as they say, that Philo, most celebrated in both types of philosophy, recorded in writing their exercise and zeal, their philosophy, their institution, their manner of life, and their entire way of preservation; it is said that he came to Rome for a conversation with Peter who was then preaching the divine Word.

CHAPTER XVI.

What the most wise Philo committed to memory concerning those who first professed and practiced the philosophy of Christ in Egypt.

He does not only extol with divine praise and proclamation the institution ^D of the apostolic men of that time who were of Hebrew origin, as it seems,

^A but he also confirms this with his own judgment, even though they maintained many of the old Jewish customs even then. He also asserts in explicit words that he considers nothing to be prior or more ancient than truth, and that he has determined to add nothing to the matter itself from his own mind. Wherefore that writing clearly contains the canons and rules which are still even now observed in the Church. The inscription of the book, however, and its title, is *On the Contemplative Life*, or *On Suppliants*. Those who had embraced a life of this sort he calls *therapeutae*, that is, worshippers or caregivers: either because they were so called at that time, when the name of Christians had not yet spread far and wide; or on account of the pure and sincere worship of God; or because, as physicians, they would ^B exercise, care for, and attend to the souls of those who came to them, freeing them from every disturbance of the vices; or for some other cause—for it is not necessary to contend about it. Regarding these, he says that from the beginning, when they were initiated into the Christian philosophy, they were accustomed to abandon their family property and wealth; and then, having renounced all the cares and anxieties of this life, they were accustomed to dwell and live outside the walls in certain remote fields, gardens, or even in the mountains, and, avoiding the company of all those who were dissimilar to them as if it were pernicious, they would meditate upon and emulate the prophetic life with a burning and fervent faith. He writes that this kind of people existed not only in that place, but also elsewhere in the world. For it was fitting that both Greece and the Barbarian world should become participants in the highest good; however, he observes that this institution was most prevalent in Egypt, and especially around Alexandria. And in every solitary abode, he says, you may find a sacred house, which they call a *semneion* and ^C a monastery, in which, living in seclusion, they are initiated into the mysteries of the holy life; into which nothing of grain, or drink, or any other thing pertaining to the necessary use of the body is brought. Only discourses and laws, sayings of the prophets, and divinely inspired hymns are meditated upon there, and also other things by which doctrine and piety, increasing, attain the highest good. Moreover, the interval of time from the very dawn until evening keeps them in exercise. For, applying themselves to the sacred Scriptures, they diligently labor over the philosophy of their fathers. And, as if laying temperance as the first foundation, they build the other virtues upon it; nor is it permitted to any of them to take food or drink before the sun has set. For the study of virtue is judged worthy of the light, as is fitting: conversely, the care of the bodily needs is considered equivalent ^D to darkness. There are some, however, who are mindful of food only after three or more days, those in whom a greater longing for knowledge is implanted. But some are so gladdened and delighted, being feasted by wisdom, which provides doctrines in abundance, that they are able to hold out for double the time, and are customed to partake of necessary food with difficulty only once every six days.

Chapter XV

^A They maintain that explanations of the holy oracles are constructed through allegories and through underlying and upward-leading meanings. For the legislation is likened by these philosophers to a living creature: its manifest wording is the body, but the invisible mind stored within it is the soul. Among them there are also women who are recluses and are called healers, who follow the same holy manner of life and state; most of whom are adorned with a temperate old age, and they practice purity and virginity not by necessity, but by voluntary choice, and having disregarded the pleasures of the body, they have desired not mortal, but immortal offspring—which the God-loving soul alone of itself is capable of bringing forth.

And since there are two kinds of ways of life for mankind, one inferior and of conjugal intercourse, and another that is supermundane and angelic—that is to say, of God-beloved virginity and of the solitary and purer way of life—if any man should choose a legitimate and undefiled marriage, he is indeed far from reproach, yet he attains to fewer gifts and graces. For he too is said to live temperately and modestly, and he bears a thirtyfold fruit of virtue, though with difficulty indeed a sixtyfold. But to whom it has been granted to live the angelic life sincerely, even if it be harsh and steep, it will nevertheless be easy for him to bear fruit sixtyfold and even a hundredfold, truly aiming at perfection and the supreme good.

He says that they possess writings of ancient men who became the leaders of their own doctrine, who left behind many monuments of the idea that is allegorized among them; using these as a kind of archetype and primary model, they imitate the manner. I consider the divine Gospels of the apostles and the Epistles of Paul to be these, as they contain the correct interpretation of the older Scriptures, explaining them, as is likely. But he says they do not only contemplate, but also compose new hymns, songs, and praises to God, inscribing them in every variety of more solemn meters and rhythms. ^B If it should appear to anyone that it is not fitting that Philo was speaking these things about the life according to the Gospel, but that they could be adapted to others, let him at least be persuaded that it is beyond doubt that it is our own way of life that is described there. For to this day, these canons ^C and these manners of life are preserved among no others but among our own people, as are the assemblies held for this purpose, and the separate meetings—separately for women and separately for men—and the exercises observed by custom, which even now are completed only among us, which we are accustomed to perform, with greater fasting, prayers, and leisure for the divine words in all-night vigils, especially during the festival of the Savior’s Passion and before it.

In these, the aforementioned wise man further records the hymns we are accustomed to say, and how, while one sings with rhythm in a seemly manner, the rest listen in silence and join in the refrains of the hymns; and how, at that very time, sleeping on pallet-beds, they do not taste wine at all, as he himself wrote in those very words, nor of any living creature; but water alone is their drink, and their relish with bread is salt and hyssop. Beyond these, the manner in which the healers,

^A those who have been entrusted with the Churches, as well as the other ministries and the highest presidencies of the episcopate, is described. That Philo was certainly writing these things concerning the first heralds of piety and the customs handed down from them from the beginning is evident to anyone who, with careful scrutiny, has the opportunity to review the aforementioned history of the man.

CHAPTER XVII. Concerning the writings of Philo; and what he was like in his manner of life.

Philo is indeed copious in his speech and vast in his thoughts; he is elevated and sublime in his contemplations of the divine Scripture, offering a varied and manifold exposition of the sacred oracles. He demonstrates this partly in his commentaries on Genesis, which he titled *Allegories of the Sacred Laws*, and partly in his introduction of the questions and difficulties concerning passages of Scripture that are subject to inquiry, handled in a summary and chapter-by-chapter fashion. ^B He has also composed other works specifically on their own. There are two books *On Agriculture* and as many *On Drunkenness*; and others deemed worthy of various titles, such as: *On What Things a Sober Mind Prays For and Imprecates*; also the book *On the Confusion of Languages*; and *On Things to be Sought or Fled from*; furthermore, *On Nature and Invention*; and *On the Gathering for the Sake of Acquiring Erudition*. Another book of his has been prepared, *Who is the Heir of Divine Things*, or *On the Cutting into Equal and Unequal Parts*; ^C as well as *On the Three Virtues*; and another, *On Those Whose Names are Changed and for What Reasons They are Changed*, in which he also declares that he has written a first and second book *On Testaments*. He also labored over another treatise, *On the Life of a Wise Man*, and another *On Giants*. Also, *On the Fact that, as it is with Moses, Dreams are Sent by God*, in five books. These, indeed, are the works of his on Genesis that have reached us. On Exodus, we have come to know five books of *Questions and Solutions*; the book *On the Tabernacle*; the book *On the Decalogue*; four books *On those things which serve the heads of the Decalogue, defined under the form of laws*; ^D the book *On the Sacrifices of Animals*, and *What the Types of Sacrifices Are*; and *On the Rewards, Punishments, and Curses Proposed in the Law*. There are also found single-volume works of his, such as *On Providence*, *Against the Jews*, and *The Statesman*; further, *Alexander, or On Whether Irrational Animals Possess Reason*; in addition to these, the book *On the*

^A *Freedom of the Virtuous*—for he is a slave, but virtue is always free. Following these, the *On the Contemplative Life*, or *On the Suppliants*, is composed, from which we have transferred the material we mentioned above concerning the apostles and the initial customs and practices of the Christians. Interpretations of the Hebrew names in the Law and the Prophets are also said to be his work. Now this Philo, when he had come to Rome during the reign of Gaius, composed books concerning Gaius’s madness and folly, which he entitled *On the Virtues*, through urbanity and irony. Subsequently, during the times of Claudius, when he had recited these in the Senate there, they were held in such admiration that they were judged worthy to be placed in the Palatine Library.

CHAPTER XVIII

Concerning the books of Josephus, the follower of truth; and what his character was.

In the same age, a little later, Josephus also flourished, a man himself of Jewish race and sprung from the priesthood. He excelled so much in the learning of the disciplines that he attained the highest skill in both his native language and the Greek. He also left behind many volumes. They say that the books of the Maccabees are his, and especially that which is inscribed, *On the Sovereignty of Reason*. He encompassed the entire history of the *Antiquities of the Jews* in twenty books. Furthermore, he composed seven books ^B *On the Jewish War and the Destruction of Jerusalem*, which rumor says that Caesar Titus ordered, by his own hand-signing, to be published everywhere and even to be deposited in the Roman library. He also published another two books *On Antiquity*, in which he says that the Hebrews were the first of all men, and that their writings are older than the rest. Moreover, he composed refutations *Against Apion the Grammarian*, who had then written biting orations against the Jews, and likewise against others who had dared to slander the practices and customs of the Jewish nation. In the first oration of these refutations, he sets forth the number of the books of the Old Testament, as it is called—those which have been received among the Hebrews by the tradition of their ancestors, and which are held without ambiguity or any controversy to be legitimate and true—teaching us with these words: "There are not many thousands of volumes among us, dissonant and contradicting one another, but twenty-two books only, ^C encompassing the record of all time, which indeed are believed for just causes to be divinely inspired. Of these, five are of Moses, which contain both the laws and the tradition of the human race up to the time of his death. This period falls short of three thousand years by a little. From the death of Moses until Artaxerxes, the King of the Persians who succeeded Xerxes, the prophets after Moses wrote down the events of their own times in thirteen books. The remaining four contain hymns to

God and precepts for the life of men. From the time of Artaxerxes until our own age, all events have been written down; but these books have not been deemed worthy of the same credit as those before them, because there was not a precise succession of the prophets. It is evident how we practically approach our own writings: for although so much time has passed, no one has dared to add to them, or to take anything away, or to change them. For it is innate in all Jews, from their very birth, to believe that these are divine doctrines, to abide by them, and, if it be necessary, to die for them willingly. ^B Toward the end of the twentieth book of the *Antiquities*, he indicates that he had written four books *On God*, concerning what the ancestral opinions are regarding Him, and concerning His essence, and concerning the laws; why it is permitted to do some things according to them, while other things are forbidden. The same author also details other works that he has been busy writing in his own writings.

In the final part of the *Antiquities*, while attacking a certain Justus of Tiberias, who had written things not true about the same times and events as he himself, along with many other charges he brings against him, he uses these very words: "I, however, did not fear for my writings in the same way you did. But I offered my books to the emperors themselves, when the deeds were still almost being witnessed. For I was conscious of myself having observed the tradition of truth, in expectation whereof I hoped to obtain testimony, and I was not disappointed. I exhibited my history to be read by many others, some of whom had even taken part in the war itself, such as King Agrippa ^C and some of his kinsmen. For the Emperor Titus so much desired that the knowledge of the events be handed down to men solely from them that, having inscribed the books with his own hand, he ordered them to be published. Moreover, King Agrippa wrote sixty-two letters in testimony to the tradition of truth in my history." From which he also appends two. He flourishes so much in his narrative style, imitating Thucydides, that he allows no one to lay claim to the prize of excellence in that regard, always rejoicing in new subjects and, with great ease, without relaxing the tension of his craft, he proceeds very gently and cheerfully, expressing [himself] wonderfully, and being elegant even in addressing the public.

Philo, then, appears to have devoted himself more to philosophy, while Josephus seems to have partaken more of the schools ^D of oratory. And the former looks toward Plato, while the latter toward Thucydides. But these things regarding Philo and Josephus are enough. Let us, however, return to the sequence of the apostolic deeds, reviewing them in summary.

CHAPTER XIX. How Paul brought the Gentiles to the profession of the Christian faith; and regarding the question raised concerning the Mosaic law to be observed by the Gentiles; and what the apostles gathered at Jerusalem decreed concerning this by letter.

^A After Paul and Barnabas had fulfilled the ministry of the brethren and returned to Jerusalem, both were designated and chosen by the Holy Spirit for the work to which they had been called. And through Seleucia they came into the island of Cyprus and to Salamis itself, preaching the divine word of the Gospel to the Jews, with John, who was also named Mark, assisting them; he who later turned back from Perga to Jerusalem.

^B But at Paphos, Elymas the sorcerer—for this is the same as Bar-Jesus—was, by the sharp rebuke of Paul, struck with blindness in the pupils of his eyes. And the proconsul Sergius believed the things preached by Paul. Thence he arrived at Antioch of Pisidia, and in the synagogue he preached the saving word. And not a few from the Gentiles came to the profession of the faith. But when an opportune time presented itself, Paul preached again. And when an infinite crowd flowed toward him, the Jews were inflamed with malicious envy and, opposing Paul, resisted him. But he, full of a better passion and zeal, declared that he would turn away from them and turn himself to the Gentiles. And so there was great joy among the Gentiles, who were received in this way. But the Jews, by a certain trickery, incited the multitude of those who held honors—the leading men—and persuaded them to set upon the apostles with stones and persecute them.

^C Wherefore the apostles came thence to Iconium, then to Lystra, and to Antioch of Pisidia and Pamphylia; and from Perga they went on to the great city of Antioch, and there they related to the brethren the faith of the Gentiles. But afterward, when some had come from Judea and were contending that those from the Gentiles who came to the profession of the faith must first be circumcised according to the prescription of the Mosaic law, and thus finally believe in Christ and observe the whole law of Moses, Barnabas and Paul set out for Jerusalem to refer that question to the greater apostles of the Gentiles. And there, with many assembled, Peter deprecated the yoke ^D of the law; and James, preaching, declared that they should not cause trouble to those from the Gentiles who were believing, but that they should signal to them by letter to abstain from the pollutions of things sacrificed to idols, from fornication, and from things strangled. Thus, with Paul and Barnabas, Judas, who is also called Barsabas, and Silas were sent to the brethren of Antioch; and by letter they informed them of what the apostles had decreed at Jerusalem. And not long after, they departed again from Antioch.

Moreover, Paul and Barnabas, with an offense and exacerbation intervening, were separated; and Barnabas, having taken Mark, crossed into Cyprus, while Paul, having associated Silas with himself, went toward Syria.

^A Preaching thus throughout Phrygia and Galatia, and having also disregarded Mysia in their preaching, it was the intention of those with him to travel toward the province of the Bithynians; but the Spirit did not permit them to set out thither. Having therefore arrived at Troas, and being persuaded by a vision of Paul, they crossed into Macedonia. And, indeed, getting off the ship, they arrived by way of Samothrace and Neapolis at the first city of the Macedonians; this is the colony of Philippi. From there they traveled to Thessalonica and to Berrhoea, bordering upon it; then to Athens; and, in order, they passed through the West with the Gospel. The letter, however, from Jerusalem, which they sent to those in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, and to all those from among the Gentiles who had believed, by the hand of Silas, read word for word as follows: “Since we have heard that certain men who departed have troubled you, saying that you must be circumcised and keep the Law, to whom we gave no such command, it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, ^B being gathered together with one mind, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: to abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from fornication, and from things strangled. From which, if you keep yourselves, you will do well. Farewell. We have sent Judas and Silas, who are leaders among the brethren, with Barnabas and Paul, our beloved brethren, men who have delivered up their souls for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that they may console you with these words.”

CAPUT XX.

While they were in Philippi, a woman who was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira approached the divine laver, and the spirit of Python was cast out of the maiden by the command of Paul. Subsequently, when the hope of gain which her masters were receiving from her was cut off, they seized the apostles with blows and bonds; and they were tightly pressed in the stocks. ^D But at midnight there was prayer and a listening by the prisoners. And God shook the earth; and the doors and all the locks and chains were released. The jailer, having seen all the doors standing open, would have laid hands upon himself, had Paul not restrained him with his voice, saying that all were within. And taking a light, he entered, and asked what he must do. And they indeed preached the Word; and he tended their wounds and washed them with warm water. But they bestowed the divine laver upon him; and he rejoiced with all his house, approaching Christ. And as soon as it was day, they were released by the magistrates of the prison; and through Amphipolis and Apollonia they approached Thessalonica.

^A There, the unbelieving Jews stirred up the city, and brought charges against Jason, who had received them as guests. The same things happened to them also in Berrhoea. But Paul was led by the brothers to the sea, and traveled as far as Athens. Observing the city to be deeply given over to the worship of idols, he began to converse both with the Jews in the synagogue and with the philosophers who were there—those from the school of Epicurus and the Stoics. By them, in fact, he was reviled as a babbler and a proclaimer of foreign demons; and so, seizing him by the hands, they brought him to the highest court among them, which is called the Areopagus. Having presented him before the council of the judges—and there were nine of them, counted as superior to all others in wisdom, virtue, lineage, and wealth, and selected by merit to occupy the judicial benches—he stood in their midst. ^B He spoke of their superstition and of the temple there which was dedicated to an "Unknown God," asserting that he was the apostle and messenger of Him who is also the Lord and Creator of heaven and earth, by whom all things consist, and who, being Himself in need of nothing and like to no other material thing, is to be praised. He added, moreover, that He is honored by nothing else than by pious good works and the knowledge of the truth; and that He overlooks the sins committed by us out of ignorance up to this time, but that henceforth men must repent and yield to the words of faith. And he said that He who has received the authority to judge is Jesus Christ Himself, who, having appeared as perfect God and perfect man—yet without sin—by way of divine deeds and works, was crucified for all, rose from the dead, and, while all were watching, returned to His own Father in heaven, the God of all things. ^C To some, therefore, who heard of the resurrection from him, the matter seemed a mockery and a fable; but some believed his words and followed him. Among them was Dionysius the Areopagite, who was one of those wise and select men. So great was his faith in Christ that he was not only found worthy of the divine laver, but was even designated by the hands of Paul as bishop of the Athenians, and was gifted with wonderful and divine charisms and graces. He also lived in intimate association with the divine man Hierotheus, to both of whom Paul, as one who had been caught up into the third heaven and into paradise itself, had communicated and handed down the things into which he had been initiated concerning theology, the nature of the Word of God, the celestial hierarchy, and the most absolute arrangement and ordination of all things; these things Dionysius afterward committed to writing. ^D Furthermore, having spoken the word of piety and true worship with great boldness, and having glorified Christ in the evening of his life for many years, he attained to a deep old age and was adorned with martyrdom for His sake. They say that after his head was severed by a sword, he took it in his hands and walked for two miles, and having encountered a woman there, he entrusted it to her. As for what he wrote with such contemplation, insight, and style that is in every way excellent and unmixed with the things that appeared to men, it is ordered in this manner: first, he compiled the treatise *On the Divine Names* in thirteen chapters, in which other chapters are subordinated, extending up to one hundred, filled with theosophy. A second work is compiled by him, having the title *On the Celestial Hierarchy*, setting forth its chapters. Third in addition to these is the...

^A *On Ecclesiastical Hierarchy*, of seven chapters; fourth is *On Mystical Theology*, of five chapters; and ten epistles, the last of which was sent to the breast-leaning evangelist John. These are the works of his that have reached us up to this present time; but he himself also makes mention of other treatises of his, one of which are those termed by him *Theological Sketches*; also *Symbolic Theology*; another *On the Angelic Properties and Orders*; his treatise *On the Soul*; another *On the Just and Divine Judgment*; ^B and that *On Divine Hymns*; and another *On Intelligible and Sensible Things*. These treatises are entirely unseen, and have been known neither to us nor to those before us. But so much for Dionysius and the things written by him.

CHAPTER XXI.

That the Mother of God herself, having died by the law of nature, was bodily translated to the heavenly tabernacles.

At that time, when Claudius was completing his fifth year in his reign, when it was necessary for the immaculate Mother of the Word of God to experience death (since her Son also proved and confirmed that he was truly man), though she had not reached a more advanced ^C old age—for she was in her fifty-ninth year—she received from her Son through an angel the message concerning her departure and his coming to her, just as he had been accustomed to come to her before. When, therefore, she knew of her departure, she was filled with unspeakable joy (for what could be sweeter to her than to be with her Son and King?); consequently, lights were brought in, the house was swept, her kinsfolk as was fitting were summoned, and things for her departure were prepared in due order, and she revealed to those who were with her the message she had ^D received, and further showed the trophy of victory over death (which was a palm branch). Moreover, the time was at hand, and she was laid upon a lowly bed in Sion. John, who had taken her into his house, was present, and as many in Jerusalem as were notable, both friends and those related by kinship. The Virgin instructed the virgin disciple and the others to provide her two tunics to the widows who were neighbors and who were more devotedly attached to her than the rest. A great shedding of tears flowed at these things, all lamenting her deprivation. Then she...

her Son, ^A from heaven descended with an infinite army of angels, to take up her soul, which was truly divine; and with the sound of thunder and a cloud, he gathered his disciples together from the ends of the earth. As the all-pure one knew these things at once, and as it had been announced that each was willing and they were accounted worthy of her blessing, she spoke her final words to them, instructing them to rejoice and not to mourn for her departure; and she explained the matters pertaining to her funeral gently and joyfully. Then she ordered Peter to come to her, and shortly after she called also the rest of the disciples. And as the lamps remained lit for them, she, rejoicing exceedingly, opened her lips and sent up a prayer of thanksgiving to the Son. And reclining again on the couch, she raised her hands on high, and having disposed and arranged her all-holy body, which was purer than the sun, with the dignity and fitting manner that became her—for she saw that one surrounded and guarded by the glory of the angels as if by a retinue—with joy and wonder, she said: "Let it be done to me again according to your word," and so, into those dear hands, as if falling asleep, she deposited that blessed soul.

CAPUT XXII. From Dionysius the Areopagite, on how the divine apostles, with his Son, gathered from the ends of the earth for the procession of the all-holy body of the Mother of God, and concerning the Jew whose hands were severed.

^C But that I may not seem to be speaking rashly in mentioning the gathering of the apostles at the dormition of the Mother of God, I have judged it right to produce what Dionysius the Areopagite writes in the third chapter to Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus, which chapter has the following inscription: *What is the power of prayer: concerning blessed Hierotheus, and concerning religion and theological history.* His words concerning Hierotheus are these: ^D "He also came together with the hierarchs filled with the divine Spirit, when I myself, and he, and many other of our holy brethren, had assembled for the viewing of the body which had received the Author of Life and God. James, the brother of the Lord, was present there, and also Peter, the supreme and most venerable pinnacle of the theologians. Then, after that viewing, it seemed good that all the hierarchs, as each was able, should, by a sung hymn, celebrate the infinite-powered goodness of the divine virtue. You surely remember how there, according to the theologians themselves, he surpassed all the other sacred initiates by far, totally departing from himself, totally dwelling in spirit outside himself, and experiencing in himself a perfect harmony with those things which he was chanting, so that to those by whom he was heard and seen, he was at once known and not known, being judged a man filled with the divine Spirit and a divine singer of hymns. But what should I say to you concerning the things declared by God at that time by those holy men? For, unless I am forgetful of my own self, I know that you also have heard from me and have heard parts of those divinely-inspired hymns." These things Dionysius said; and the apostles, and all that was chosen

the excellent men who ^A stood around the bed, reverently kissed it. And then, how many miracles were performed there: for the blind, beyond all hope and expectation, beheld the sun with their own eyes; hearing was granted to the deaf; the lame regained the use of their feet—and, to say it all at once, every kind of disease retreated and vanished of its own accord at a mere touch. Then, with candles borne in procession, and with ointment and flowers scattered, and with angels going before, surrounding, and accompanying from above, and the divine Fathers and apostles singing certain wondrous hymns, that intellectual and spiritual ark was carried from Sion to Gethsemane, supported by apostolic hands ^B.

But into this great joy, a troublesome and harsh thing occurred, which must not be passed over in silence. For when that divine body, as has been said, was being carried to Gethsemane, where the Mother of God had requested to be buried, the Jews, consumed with envy, since they could not conceal it, brought forth the passion of malice that was fostered in their minds. Among them, one individual, bolder and more frenzied than the rest (he was of the order of priests), when the sacred tabernacle was being carried, driven by an irrational impulse, rushed upon it, having in mind to cast that sacred body to the ground and trample it. But judgment did not tarry in the slightest. For his hands were severed from the elbows and hung from the bier. ^C And yet, she who through her divine childbirth had filled the inhabited world with joy was not to be the cause of any grief or misery to anyone, even in her death. And since the man who suffered this was indeed wicked, but yet not entirely beyond hope or incurable, he offered the remedy of repentance. And since he could not extend the hands he no longer possessed, he offered up tears; and at once, along with the chastisement, the healing was also present. The bed, therefore, stood still so that it might not be carried forward; and the parts that had been severed were brought together to the places from which they had fallen—and this was by the command of Peter—and immediately they were as they had been before. And as soon as they reached Gethsemane, it was granted that she should be buried in a manner imitating her Son; ^D but through Him, she is transferred to the divine tabernacles, to paradise itself, clearly, where the tree of life is planted—by a way that God, who has done these things, knows—transferred.

CHAPTER XXIII. What Juvenal of Jerusalem records concerning the sacred Assumption of the most pure Mother of God, and of her form and character.

^A Furthermore, many others clearly proclaim in articulate words the translation of this life-giving and saving body, but above all Juvenal, the Bishop of Jerusalem—a great man, truly inspired by divine power, who confirms this event as having been received from ancient tradition and having come down even to him. For he says that the apostles remained at the tomb for three entire days, listening to divine hymns. But it happened that Thomas was away on a journey, so that the translation of the divine Mother of God might become known, just as the resurrection of her Son had been before him. When he returned after the third day, he was consumed with immense grief and could not be at peace, inasmuch as he had not partaken of such a great good. That holy choir, judging it unfair if he too were not to behold and embrace that divine body of the Virgin Mother, ordered the monument to be opened. And when this was done, the desired body was nowhere to be found. Only the burial linens, duly arranged, remained in their place, just as they had been left in the sepulcher of her Son. ^B Embracing these with veneration, he and those who were with him were filled with ineffable delight and the sweetness of a fragrance, and they restored the sepulcher to its former state; indeed, they transmitted this miracle to us as if passed from hand to hand to posterity. That this divine body of the Mother of God was to be resurrected, the prophet David also foreshadowed, saying: "Arise, O Lord, into your resting place, you and the ark of your sanctification" (Ps. cxxxi, 8). Thence comes the report that it was not so long ago that the sacred festival of the most holy Virgin began to be celebrated.

Her character, and the state of her form and stature, were such as Epiphanius relates: She was, he says, modest in all things; speaking few words, and only necessary ones; quick to obey and easy of approach; honoring and revering all. She was of middle stature. ^C There are some, however, who say she was somewhat taller than middle height. She used a decent freedom of speech toward all men, without laughter, without perturbation, and especially without anger. Her complexion was that of wheat, her hair blond, her eyes sharp, and her pupils were of a yellowish—or, as it were, olive—hue. Her eyebrows were arched and becomingly black; her nose was somewhat long; her lips were blooming and full of the sweetness of her words. Her face was not round and pointed, but rather somewhat elongated. Her hands and fingers were likewise long. In short, she was free of all pride, simple, and not in the least feigning her countenance, carrying with her no softness, but rather ^D possessing surpassing humility; she wore garments of natural color, such as her holy veil is shown to be even to this day; and, to speak in summary, she was filled with divine grace in all that she was. Her years have been calculated as I stated a little while ago. Upon

returning to the apostolic ^A acts, let us turn to them.

Chapter XXIV

How the divine Paul passed from the East to the West; and from thence returned again to the East, preaching the divine word: and how, going by sea from Ephesus into Syria, he reached Jerusalem.

Paul, departing from Athens, comes to Corinth. He meets with Aquila the tentmaker, along with his wife Priscilla, who had arrived just then from Rome. For Claudius had issued a decree that all Jews were to be expelled from Italy. Dwelling with them, he labored at the leather-work. ^B But the Jews, hearing Paul teaching the word, resisted him. But Paul, filled with anger, said, "Their blood be upon them; I am clean, I will go to the Gentiles." There also Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, together with his wife and children, receives divine baptism. Accordingly, he spent a year and six months in Corinth. And Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, repelled the Jews from the tribunal. And when Sosthenes was beaten, Gallio made nothing of what had happened. Paul, departing from there, sailed for Syria; but when he had arrived at Ephesus, he was constrained to remain; yet, having a desire to celebrate the coming feast of Pentecost at Jerusalem, he departed. Using the sea route, he landed at Caesarea of Palestine. From there he went up to Jerusalem, and arrived at Antioch in Syria. ^C Departing from there, he traversed Galatia and Phrygia, visiting the churches. And a certain Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, being powerful in the force of his speech, demonstrated to all by certain and firm proofs that Christ was the One expected by them. Having departed from Ephesus, he arrived at Corinth, and there preached the word of faith with great boldness. Meanwhile, Paul comes to Ephesus from the land of Syria. And those who did not even know that there was a Holy Spirit, through the laying on of his hands, immediately received it, speaking in strange discourse and tongues. And Paul spent a whole biennium in Asia, in the school of a certain man named Tyrannus. ^D Where he drew all, both Jews and Greeks, to hear the word; and he became manifest through strange powers, in such a way that even certain handkerchiefs and aprons—that is to say, fine linens—that had touched his body, not only healed diseases but became formidable to demons. And there were seven sons of a certain priest, Sceva, who dared to adjure and cast out demons in the name of Paul. But as they were being driven out, the demons said that, while they knew Paul, they did not know them at all; and leaping upon them, they wounded them the more. So that fear fell upon all who heard of it; and those who lived in curiosity quickly committed their books to the fire, the value of which was ten thousand pieces of silver. When these things had come to pass, he warned them not to be troubled; of these...

^A for Paul had it in mind to go to Achaia through Macedonia, and from there to return to Jerusalem, and after that to see Rome as well. While he was still tarrying in Asia, he sent Timothy and Erastus into the West. There Demetrius the silversmith, because the golden gods which he made were being neglected as Paul persuaded men to despise them, stirred up no small tumult among the Ephesians, crying out that it was all over for the gods, and that the temple of Diana, which was worshipped among them, was in danger. The mob, therefore, seized with fury and indignation, shouted, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" and with beast-like impetuosity they seized some of Paul’s followers. And had not Alexander the scribe stood up, raising his hand on high and softening the multitude with gentle words, they might perhaps have even dispatched Paul himself. But departing from Ephesus, he set out for the regions of Macedonia, confirming the churches; and from there he came into Greece. ^B But since a plot was being laid against him by the Jews there, he returned again through Macedonia. Those together with Sopater, and Aristarchus, and Timothy, followed him; as for the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus, they had gone on ahead and were waiting for them at Troas. Paul, moreover, together with Luke (for it was then the days of Unleavened Bread), also came from Philippi to Troas. There, on the first day of the week, when Paul held a long discourse, and the speech was prolonged until midnight, a certain youth named Eutychus, sitting in a window, charmed by the sweetness of the words, and overcome by deep sleep, fell from the third story and died. But Paul, leaning over him, bade them be of good cheer and not to be troubled, declaring that life was still in the man. Thus the youth, safe and sound, afforded much joy and gladness to those who had been gathered together. And when the conversation had been continued until dawn, he departed and traveled through Mitylene and Samos and, staying at Trongylium, ^C he then came to Miletus, already hurrying on his journey to Jerusalem. From Miletus he sent for the priests of Ephesus and the bishops of the churches, and reminded them of his own custom and life, so that he neglected to declare nothing to them of those things that were profitable, testifying and teaching repentance and faith in Christ both privately and publicly. Therefore, he exhorted them to take heed to themselves and to the flock, in which the Holy Spirit had appointed them overseers, and to watch, and to remember his admonitions for the whole three years, and to beware of the grievous wolves that would soon come upon the Church. And after setting forth many other beneficial and useful things, with much lamentation he was with difficulty at last pulled away from them, and with great longing, both giving and receiving kisses, he was led to the ship. ^D And so he was carried to the island of Cos. Then

Thence he sailed for Rhodes, and from there he was carried by favorable winds to Patara in Phoenicia. Leaving Cyprus on his left, he sailed straight to Syria. When he had arrived at Tyre, he took another ship to Ptolemais, and from there he came to Caesarea in Palestine. Here he was received into the home of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven deacons. He had four daughters, whom God had honored with the gift of prophecy. While Paul was staying there for several days, the prophet Agabus also came from Judea, and binding his own hands and feet with the girdle of Paul’s belt, he was moved by the Spirit, saying: ^B "These things says the Holy Spirit: In this manner, the Jews will bind this man in Jerusalem and hand him over into the hands of the Gentiles." Therefore, when many were detaining Paul and urging him against the journey to Jerusalem, he was so far from being persuaded that he not only wished to be bound, but also contended that he was ready to die for the name of Jesus Christ. But when those who were with him conceded, saying, "May the will of the Lord be done," he was released and led on to Jerusalem.

CHAPTER XXV

But indeed, those who have described the journeys of Paul record that he both did and suffered many other things at the same time, and among these, they also handed down to memory what happened to him when he was in Ephesus. For when Hieronymus held the chief office there, Paul preached with great boldness. Wherefore Hieronymus testified that he spoke well and eloquently, but that his speech was not fitting for those times. The common people, however, in their insolence and furor, placed Paul in shackles and locked him in prison until he could be thrown to the lions to be devoured. There, Eubula and Artemilla, wives of famous men in Ephesus, having been taught the faith by Paul (for they used to come to him by night), begged him for the grace of the divine bath. And so, through ^D divine power and the ministry of an angelic guard, with an abundance of brilliance illuminating the darkness of the night, Paul was freed from his iron shackles and initiated those women into the divine baptism at the seashore; and since none of those to whom the care of the guard had been entrusted perceived it, he returned again to his chains, in which he was being kept as food for the lions. But then, a lion of immense size and unbearable strength, having been sent against him, rushed into the arena; but presently it sat down at Paul’s feet. And when other monstrous beasts were likewise let loose, they did not dare to touch even the holy body that was upright and composed for prayer. When these things had been done, suddenly a very violent and strangely great hail fell with a loud crash, crushing the heads of many men and beasts alike, and it even cut off the ear of Hieronymus himself; who then, being reconciled to God through Paul together with his own house, received the saving bath. That lion, however, fled into the mountains. And Paul sailed from there to Macedonia and Greece. Then, coming back through Macedonia, he came to Troas and to Miletus; and from there he set out—

^A for Jerusalem. But if Luke did not record this battle with wild beasts in his other acts, it is nothing surprising. For we ought not to dispute the fact that John alone among the evangelists narrated the resurrection of Lazarus; for we know that not all men write, believe, or know all things, but as the Lord has distributed to each, as the Spirit apportions to each, so does he also understand, believe, and write the things of the Spirit spiritually.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Concerning the sedition that arose at Jerusalem under Claudius, and concerning the impudent audacity of the priests under Nero and Felix; and also concerning the robbers called Sicarii, and the Egyptian false prophet.

While Paul was thus traveling from Jerusalem through the entire surrounding region as far as Illyricum, Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome. While he still held the scepter of the Roman empire, such a great ^B sedition and tumult arose among the populace at Jerusalem during the feast of the Passover, that of those Jews alone who were pushing and crushing one another near the doors of the temple as they attempted to exit by force, three myriads were trampled and perished. And so the festival was turned for the whole nation into great mourning, and that pain and wailing reached almost every home. [Many other evils, moreover, the Jews experienced and suffered at that time.] Josephus also, writing of these things, reports in this manner: “Claudius created Agrippa, the son of Agrippa, King of the Jews, and sent Felix as procurator of the whole region of Samaria and Galilee, and furthermore of what is called Peraea, or the land across the Jordan. Having administered the empire for thirteen years and eight months, he died, leaving his son Nero as successor to the throne.” ^C And under Nero, while Felix was presiding over Judea, the same Josephus, in the twentieth book of the Antiquities, recounts the sedition among the priests themselves in these words: “There arose also a sedition of the high priests against the priests and the chief men of the populace of Jerusalem. And each of them, having gathered a band of the most audacious and revolutionary men, was a leader. And, clashing with one another, they both reviled each other with insults and curses, and pelted one another with stones. And there was no one present to restrain them, but all these things were done as in a city lacking any protector or magistrate, ^D through...

^A impunity for their insolence. Such was the impudence and audacity of the factious that they did not even fear to send their servants out of the city to the estates and villas to seize the tithes that were owed to the priests. Wherefore it happened that some of the priests were reduced to such poverty that they died of hunger in the sight of many; to such a degree had the violence and injury of the factious prevailed over all law and equity.” The same historian records again that in those same times there arose a certain kind of brigand, “who (as he himself says) would kill those they met in the middle of the city and during the day. For, mingling with the crowd, most especially on festival days, and keeping small daggers hidden beneath their garments, they would stab their opponents with them. Then, when the men had fallen, the perpetrators themselves would join in the outcry against the murderers, and thus it happened that, under this pretext, being believed to be men of good faith, they could not be detected. They first slaughtered Jonathan the high priest, and after him, many every day; and the fear of the disasters themselves was more grievous, since each person, as if in war, expected death from hour to hour.” ^B Then, after a few lines, he adds: “The Egyptian false prophet afflicted the Jews with a still greater disaster. For there came into their region a man who was a sorcerer and who claimed for himself the credibility of a prophet, and he gathered a multitude of up to thirty thousand of those he had deceived. He led them from the wilderness to the mount which is called the Mount of Olives, from which place he was able to take Jerusalem by force, and having overcome the Roman garrison, he relied on that bodyguard to claim the tyranny for himself over the people to seize the city. But Felix anticipated his attempt, for he led the Roman forces, together with the auxiliaries of the Jerusalemite populace, against him; and when battle was joined, the Egyptian was forced to flee with a few men, and very many in his army were either slain or taken captive.” Josephus relates these things in the second book of his History of the Jewish Captivity. The Acts of the Apostles also make mention of this ^C Egyptian, where the multitude of the Jews stirs up sedition against Paul. For the tribune says to him: “Art thou not that Egyptian, who before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?” (Acts XXI, 38).

CHAPTER XXVII.

Of the miracles of the apostle Peter, and the prodigies of Simon Magus; and how Nero expelled them both from Rome.

While Nero was reigning, Simon Magus was in Rome, performing signs through sorcery. For he first kept a very large dog chained before his door, by means of which he would ward off those who wished to come to him if they were not pleasing to him. Now the great Peter came to visit Simon; and seeing that dog, which had been made fierce and horrible, rushing at him, and knowing that he had been the cause of death to many before Peter’s arrival, ^D

^A he immediately unleashed the dog and commanded it with a human voice to announce to its master that Peter, the servant of Christ, was present. When the dog had carried out the message in the way it had been ordered, those who were with Simon were struck with amazement; but he said that they should not consider what had happened strange, for he himself had the power to do the same things. He ordered the dog to go out and call the Apostle to him. Peter, having been summoned, entered. There, in mutual conversation, they exchanged many words. In miracles and various prodigies, however, Simon was far surpassed. For this reason, many of those who were with him came to Christ and received baptism.

Indeed, Simon himself performed many wonderful things through the agency of the demons that served him. For he caused statues to move, and he made household vessels and implements move of their own accord from one place to another. He himself could be surrounded by flames and not be burned, and he was borne flying through the air. ^B By means of deception practiced upon men, he made loaves of bread out of stones. He would put on the form of a dragon and transform himself into various species of animals. He was seen at times wearing two faces; he would transform himself entirely into gold; he would open doors that were securely fastened by bars and bolts with a single word; he would shatter iron chains; and at banquets he would display phantoms of all sorts of shapes, and he caused a great many shadows to walk before him, which he falsely claimed were the souls of the long-deceased. Nor did he only transform his own appearance into whatever he wished, but he also changed others, whomsoever he pleased, into the forms of various animals. And some who attempted to convict him and prove him to be a fraud and a buffoon, he would invite to a feast under the pretext of feigned friendship, sacrificing an ox, and thereafter subject them to multifarious and incurable diseases and savage demons. ^C When these things and others like them were done—by the divine Peter truly and in reality, but by Simon falsely and through the trickery of an impostor—Nero summoned both of them. And since he was unable to discern which was the better, and could not distinguish the true from the charlatan, for the time being, as they were both authors of strange prodigies, he drove both Peter and Simon out of Rome as if they were wandering deceivers. Afterward, however, Nero, being himself profane and impious, inclined most toward the impostor and impure Simon, who was likewise profane and impious.

CHAPTER XXVIII

At the same time, Paul, with his disciples, having collected his baggage, went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem; and on the following day, coming to the divine hierarch James and the presbyters, he greeted them and explained what things God had accomplished through him among the Gentiles. They, for their part, first gave glory to God; then they advised Paul how there were many thousands of believing Jews who were zealous for the law and...

^A had been informed ^B about you, that you teach all those to depart from it, to abolish circumcision, and refuse to keep to the ancestral customs. They advised him to use a dispensation, to purify himself according to the law and use a razor, so that he might not seem to be abolishing the law. And he, having purified himself, was entering the temple; but the Jews from Asia saw him, and moved by wrath, they laid hands on him, and inciting one another, as one who was profaning the temple, they dragged Paul out of there and were thirsty to kill him. The chiliarch of the cohort, having heard of the confusion of the city, hurried with great speed, and snatched him from the hands of those who were murdering him; and binding him with two heavy chains, led him into the camp. And thinking that he was the Egyptian, of whom we have spoken a little while ago, he questioned him. But he said that he was from Tarsus of Cilicia; and having placed him upon the steps, he then ordered him to speak. Paul, standing, related his own affairs: how he was known to boast of zeal for the ancestral law, having learned the exactness of the religion at the feet of Gamaliel, and how, having received letters from the elders, he was driving to Damascus, to bind those who were preaching Christ; and how a boundless light from heaven shone around him; and how he became a partaker of a strange voice. And having become blind, he went about from there; and how he received his sight again under Ananias; and how he received baptism, being sealed in the name of Jesus. Indeed, as he was relating all these things, he stirred the multitude to a greater crowd, saying, "Away with him! For it is not fitting for such a one to live." And the chiliarch was pressing him with scourges. But when that man, having called himself a Roman, was delivered from the blows. At daybreak, the chiliarch, wishing to know the certainty, summoned the high priests and the council. And again, Paul being a public speaker, was struck on the mouth by Ananias; whom Paul, not knowing that he was the high priest, called a whitewashed wall, and one who brings judgment contrary to the law. Then, by a certain method, he named himself a Pharisee, and that because he preaches the resurrection of the dead, he was being brought to trial. Through which, having obtained the belief of the Pharisees, that he had committed no sin, he was snatched away ^C by the chiliarch, who feared lest the multitude should do anything unbecoming. ^D At night, a word of Christ stood by him, and exhorted him to be of good courage. And he proposed that he should bear witness in Rome, just as he had done in Jerusalem. But some were ensuring [their plans] with oaths, to persuade the priests to bring Paul out of the city, while they themselves were in readiness to kill him. Paul indeed having learned this—for the son of his sister had announced the plot—notified the chiliarch. And he, whose name was Claudius Lysias, delivered the divine Apostle to two centurions and two hundred spearmen, along with seventy horsemen, and having mounted him, sent him by night to Caesarea, to the governor Felix, together with a letter. And he, having received those who had come from Jerusalem, and having told them to await the accusers against him, ordered him to be kept in the praetorium of Herod.

Chapter XXIX.

Five days had passed since then when the elders came from Jerusalem, Ananias the high priest, and a certain orator named Tertullus, who, among many other things with which he was accusing Paul—things worthy of his babbling and plausibility—meanwhile reviled him as a pestilence and a sedition-monger, and as one who defiled the holy places and the temple itself; and, as a great and terrible thing, he branded him as being the ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. But Paul easily brushed aside the other charges, refuting them with most pleasant speech, while confessing that he worshipped God according to the sect which they called a heresy, and that he did not dissent from those things which were spoken in the Law and the Prophets; and that he chose to believe the same things as his revilers and accusers; and that he announced the resurrection of the dead, both of those who had lived piously and those who had not; and that this was the very reason for which he was on trial. Having heard these things said, Felix adjourned the judgment, saying that he would wait for Lysias the tribune to arrive; and when he had arrived, as he would soon, the matter of the speeches would be examined again. And he handed Paul over to custody, but he did not at all hinder anyone who wished to approach him or to provide those things which were of use to him.

After a short time, however, Felix, together with his wife Drusilla, sent for Paul and heard him discoursing on the life-giving word. But, having been filled with fear, he quietly dismissed him, and, not wishing to accept the faith, he hoped that he would receive money; for which reason, sending for him constantly, he gladly engaged in conversation with him. ^B When two years had been completed, Porcius Festus was sent by Nero as a successor to Felix. When he had traveled from Caesarea to Jerusalem, those around Ananias the high priest begged him to summon Paul to Jerusalem, with the intent, indeed, that he might be secretly dispatched with the sword by the conspirators on the way. But Festus refused the request and ordered them to come to Caesarea, where the controversy would be decided.

When Festus and the elders had arrived there, Paul, before the tribunal, dissolved the accusations brought against him by them like a spider's web, demonstrating most excellently that he had done nothing wrong, neither against the Law nor against the temple. ^C And Festus, indeed, wishing to gratify the Jews, said that Paul should go up to Jerusalem. But he refused, asserting that he would stand before Caesar's tribunal. For surely it was not lawful for anyone to hand over to the Jews, for the sake of a favor, a man who had appealed to Caesar. In this way, having constrained Festus by a certain artifice, he, having given thought to the matter, said: "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go."

^A

CHAPTER XXX. Concerning Agrippa and Bernice: and the speech which Paul held before them.

Meanwhile, King Agrippa, together with Bernice his wife, arrived at Caesarea to visit Festus. And when they had spent many days there, Festus explained to the king the case regarding Paul: how he had been left a prisoner by Felix, and how the elders and chief priests had implored him to fulfill the office of judge against him. Finally, when he had stood him before the tribunal in the presence of his accusers, nothing of criminality was found in the defendant, as far as could be surmised, except that certain questions were raised by his accusers concerning their own superstition and a certain Jesus who was dead, whom Paul asserted to be alive. And when I myself, being in doubt regarding their discernment, asked him whether he wished to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these things, Paul appealed to the cognition of Caesar. ^B Agrippa said: "I would also like to hear the man myself"; and Festus said: "Tomorrow you shall hear him."

And so, with the greatest display, at daybreak Agrippa with Bernice gathered an immense audience. And there were present there also, by the command of Festus, all the men of note in the city. And Paul was brought in, bound in chains. And Festus began the address, saying: "King Agrippa, and all who are present in this assembly, this is he, regarding whom the multitude of the Jews, having gathered against me with great tumult, contended that he must be removed from the living by all means. ^C I, however, having discovered that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and since he himself had appealed to the judgment of Augustus, I decided that he must be sent there. But since I have nothing certain that I might write about him, I have produced him before your tribunal, King Agrippa: so that, the case being known, I might finally have something to signify to Caesar concerning him. For it seems to me altogether absurd to send a prisoner, and not at the same time wish to indicate the cause of his bonds."

Then Agrippa said to Paul: "It is permitted to you," he said, "to speak regarding yourself what seems good." Thereupon Paul, perhaps using a certain custom, with hand extended, spoke. And first, with a certain art, he did not omit to praise Agrippa prudently, as a just man and one excellently skilled in the customs and questions of the Jews. ^D Then he judged himself fortunate for the very reason that he had chanced upon such an auditor for his cause; and such a preface having been premised, putting forth his own case: "From my early youth," he said, "I have been accurately and diligently educated and instructed in the ancestral sect of the Pharisees. And not even now do I stand before the tribunal for any other cause than that I teach that there will be a resurrection of the dead, which God long ago promised to the Fathers. Which indeed pertains to the name of Jesus of Nazareth; breathing zeal and defense of the ancestral laws, I committed many things which were not fitting, and all those things I seemed to do openly. All Jerusalem bears witness to this; for very many, from me, who had received that authority from the priests, were cast into prisons. So much, however, had that madness overflowed in me, that I even set out to more distant cities, pursuing, and moving every stone (as is said), determined to overthrow this sect. And while I was making my journey to Damascus, at the noon hour, I saw from heaven a light shining around me brighter than the sun. And with the exceeding

^A brightness of this radiance my eyes were dazzled, and becoming full of darkness, I fell to the ground. And a voice from above was heard, commanding me not to persecute Christ. And He commanded me to rise up, and for this reason He had appeared to me in this way, so that He might appoint me a witness of those things which I had seen and which He would soon reveal: namely, to open the eyes of the blind, to turn them from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to Christ, so that they might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Him. Therefore, it was not possible to disobey this supernatural vision. To the Jews and to the Gentiles, therefore, who are practicing repentance, I say that they must perform works worthy of repentance, teaching nothing whatever beyond what the prophets and Moses himself declared: that Christ is subject to suffering, and, being the first to rise from the dead, He proclaims ^B light to the Gentiles and eternal life and salvation to His own people. As Paul was setting these things forth with fluency, Festus, being a carnal man and not sufficiently able to grasp the things of the Spirit, and supposing these things to be foolishness and madness, as if Paul were deranged by much learning and did not understand what he was saying, kept scoffing at Paul. But he insisted that he was not mad, but was speaking words of truth and soberness, as was also thoroughly known to the king to whom he was speaking these things with boldness; for I do not think that anything of these matters escaped him, as he believed all that the prophets proclaimed. To whom Agrippa said pleasantly, "In a little while you persuade me to become a Christian." And he replied, "I would to God that, whether by little or by much, not only you, but also all who have shared in my words today, might become such as I am—except, however, for these fetters of chains with which I am bound." ^C

CAPUT XXXI. Of Paul's crossing into Italy, and of his shipwreck.

^A is called Fair Havens. Lasaea was a city near to that place. And since the voyage was perilous, Paul warned that the ship would suffer damage with loss, and that they would be in great danger of their lives, and advised them not to set sail from there. But the centurion trusted the pilot more than Paul. Therefore, they set sail from there, as the harbor was not well suited for wintering. When a south wind blew, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete. But a typhonic wind, named Euroclydon, blew; and the ship being caught, and not being able to withstand the wind, they let her drift for a little while. And having run under a certain small island which is called Clauda, they were hardly able to secure the boat. And having taken it up into the ship, they undergirded the ship with every strength, preparing to withstand the ^B impact of the waves. Being in fear lest they should fall into the Syrtes, as they are called, they lowered the sail after much straining, and were carried along. And the storm being violent, on the third day they threw overboard with their own hands all the ship's tackle. And for many days, with neither sun nor stars appearing in the sky, and with a great storm overwhelming them, all hope of safety was taken away. And those in the ship being pressed by much fasting for this reason, Paul said: "You ought, indeed, to have obeyed me and not set sail from Crete, that you might have been as far as possible from the injury and loss; but even now I exhort you to be of good cheer; for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, except for the ship. For this very night ^C an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood by me and exhorted me not to fear, saying: 'You must stand before Caesar; and since God has shown you great favor, He grants you all those who sail with you.' It is necessary, however, for us to be cast away upon a certain island." The fourteenth night since then passed, and they were driven about in the Adriatic; and sounding the depth, they found it to be twenty fathoms. And fearing lest they should fall into rough places, they cast four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. But the sailors were casting the boat from the ship into the sea, intending to flee. But at the suggestion of Paul, those around the centurion cut the ropes of it and allowed the boat to be carried by the winds into the sea. Before day came, Paul exhorted all to take food, promising that not a hair ^D of any of their heads would fall. And he, having first given thanks to God as was fitting, partook of food. And the others of the ship did likewise, being two hundred and seventy-six in number. And when it was day, they could not recognize the land; but they saw a certain bay having a beach. Therefore, having pulled up the anchors and loosened the lashings of the rudders, and having raised the foresail a little, they steered toward the beach with the blowing force. The prow indeed remained safe; but the stern was broken by the violence of the waves. And the counsel was to kill

those under guard, lest any should escape by swimming. But the centurion, for the sake of Paul, hindered the slaughter, and commanded all to get out as best they could. ^A

CHAPTER XXXII

How a viper bit Paul’s hand on the island of Melita; and concerning Publius and the other miracles of Paul.

And immediately all were on dry land. The island was named Melita; its inhabitants, though they were barbarians, showed no little care and kindness to those who had been shipwrecked. For, because of the heavy rain and the intense cold, they lit a great fire and gathered all around it. When Paul had piled up a large bundle of sticks and was putting them on the fire, a viper, which had been hiding in the brush and was aroused by the heat, crept out and bit his hand. When the barbarians saw the creature hanging from his hand, they supposed that he was not a good man, but some murderer and a monster of a person; for this reason, though he had escaped the force of the great storm, justice did not allow him to live, having been wounded by the venomous beast. But no danger came to Paul from it; for he shook off the serpent into the flames. They, however, expecting that he would immediately swell up or suddenly fall down dead from the wicked contagion of the venomous bite—as they saw the opposite happen, they turned back the ship, as the saying goes, and, changing their opinion to the contrary, they began to speak very differently of him and to follow him with divine honors. ^{B C} The fields and estates of that island belonged to the chief man there, whose name was Publius. He provided them with many good things for three days, lacking nothing in hospitality. And he did not receive a small reward for this deed; for violent fevers and dysentery, which had long afflicted Publius’s father, were dispelled by the touch of Paul. Besides this, others who were afflicted with many diseases and were in pain and agony were immediately restored to their former health and relieved. Hence, great honor came to Paul, and whatever pertained to the needs of sailing was abundantly provided for the travelers.

Chapter XXXIII

How Paul came from there via Syracuse to Rome in an Alexandrian ship, and held discussions with the leading Jews there; and how he appeared before Nero and was then released; and remaining for two years in Rome, he preached the kingdom of Christ without hindrance and with great boldness.

And there another Alexandrian ship was wintering there, dedicated to the Dioscuri—false gods—whose images it bore upon it. For just as the masters of ships among us, practicing piety, dedicate their ships to certain saints and attest to it with an inscription; so too, in olden times, for the same belief [as ours], they would indicate by writings those to whom they had dedicated them. ^D

^A On such a ship, then, the company of the divine Paul embarked after three months and put in at Syracuse; from there they went to Rhegium, and on the second day they arrived at Puteoli, from whence they were brought safely to Rome. Certain brethren, having heard of Paul’s arrival, came to meet him as far as Appii Forum and the Three Taverns—these being marketplaces for Rome lying outside the city. The centurion handed over the other prisoners as was fitting, but he kept Paul with himself. Three days later, Paul called together the leading men of the Jews, and in his address affirmed that he had in no way transgressed against the law of his fathers; nevertheless, since he had been handed over into the hands of the Romans as a prisoner, and they, having learned the truth, had judged that he should be released, but because his own countrymen were vehemently pressing the matter, he had been compelled to appeal to Caesar—not that he had anything to accuse his own nation of, he said, but rather that he might see and speak with them. ^B "For the chain," he said, "which you see encircling me, I wear for the sake of that very hope of Israel." They, for their part, removing any suspicion, testified that they had received nothing evil regarding him either by word of mouth or by letter, and that they were prepared to hear the things he had to say, noting that they knew that this sect of the Christians was spoken against everywhere. A day was therefore set, and all were present. Then, for the whole day, Paul discoursed on Christ and His kingdom, persuading them from the law and the prophets, and bringing forward the fitting testimony for each point. Some were persuaded and quietly accepted his words, but others were not at all inclined to agree with what was said; and having conflicting opinions, they departed. When Festus’s letters were subsequently handed to Nero, Paul was brought before his tribunal. ^C By means of persuasive defenses, and containing much that was compelling and deeply wise, he escaped that complex beast, neither censuring his own countrymen nor doing anything but refuting the charges brought against him. From that time on, for a period of two years, Paul remained in Rome, living on the wages of his own labor, gladly welcoming all who came to him, and nourishing them in a twofold manner—treating them first and foremost with divine and heavenly food, and with freedom of speech and an unfettered tongue preaching the kingdom of God and proclaiming the things concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, ^D and preaching the Gospel freely to all without any hindrance.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

As far as this point, the holy and divine apostle and evangelist Luke wrote the narrative of the Acts of the Apostles. Henceforth, following the clear tracks of the ecclesiastical historians, we shall set forth the remaining matters of our History, trusting in God and the Holy Spirit...

At that time, then, having been released by Nero, the Apostle was sent forth again to the ministry of preaching. He arrived in the same city a second time, and prevailing opinion holds that he was brought to perfection by martyrdom. For it was likely that Nero, who was endowed with a certain humanity at the beginning, should easily accept Paul’s defense of the doctrine he taught; but having subsequently run aground as if on rocks into impious and abominable crimes, he dared, among other things, to slaughter the Apostles as well.

At that time, therefore, having been released, he wrote the first Epistle to Timothy, whom he had previously established as bishop of Ephesus, laying out in a model, as it were, the hierarchical life and discourse, and describing under the inspiration of the Spirit to all the churches of Christ what manner of life it behooves those to lead who desire to serve as priests according to Christ. And not only to Timothy, but he also wrote another Epistle to the holy Titus, whom he had previously ordained bishop of the island of Crete and left behind there to correct those things in his evangelical preaching that were still lacking. ^B To the Corinthians, and Ephesians, and Galatians, and Colossians, and Philippians, and Thessalonians; and furthermore to the Hebrews and Romans, and to all those whom the power and grace of the Holy Spirit had constrained him to visit, and whom he had magnificently regenerated by faith in Christ through the Gospel, he sent Epistles. By these, he recalled to their memory in a concise way those things which he had clearly taught them by his own word while present. Those things, moreover, which were of a more mysterious and inaccessible nature—which he had previously passed over in silence—he later clarified through his sacred writings, either perfectly by means of greater words of wisdom, or at least, if one might say so, shadowed them forth in the manner and form of parables, as if through enigmas. He did not conceal these things for the sake of those who were capable of hearing divine matters, nor, on the other hand, did he set them forth in a totally clear and ready manner for the sake of the inept and unworthy, [that they might not be held in contempt].

Again, therefore, as has been said, having traveled a long and varied course and arriving at Rome, ^C he met his end for Christ. At that time, while still in chains, he composed the second Epistle to Timothy, in which he indicates his former defense and declares the consummation of martyrdom that was already pressing upon him. “At my first defense,” he says, “no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be reckoned against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the preaching might be fully accomplished, and all the nations should hear; and I was delivered from the mouth of the lion” — designating Nero in this way on account of his cruel and ferocious spirit. And as he knew in the Spirit that his departure for Christ’s sake was imminent, ^D he adds something similar: “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and will save me for his heavenly kingdom,” alluding to the immediate martyrdom, which even now…

more clearly in this same Epistle, saying: “For I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure is at hand.” He points out, however, in this same second and final Epistle to Timothy, that Luke was with him, whereas at his former defense, not even he was present. Whence it can be rightly gathered that the divine Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles only up to that time, and had eloquently recounted the history and deeds of them all, for as long as he had previously been with Paul. And we have reviewed these things, endeavoring to show that the martyrdom of Paul did not take place at the time that Luke recorded Paul’s residence in Rome, but later. For having traversed almost the whole earth, and having struggled for Christ in the Gospel for thirty-five years, finally, when he was in Rome for the second time, and had encountered the chief of the Apostles, Peter, he there, together with him, received the crown of immortality. ^B

CAPUT XXXV. Of the travels of the apostle Peter: and of the holy Clement, and of his lineage: and how he himself also later came to Rome.

For not less did Peter also, having traversed the earth, and having spread the preaching to all those of the circumcision in Palestine and Syria and almost every other land, when, under the reign of Nero, he had arrived in Rome on account of the detestable Simon—who dared to proclaim himself God in public inscriptions and to distort the preaching of Christ—and when he had refuted him by both deeds and the power of words, and had entrusted the Church of the Romans to be governed first by Linus, then by Anacletus, and thirdly, after them, as he was approaching his death, had committed the keys to the most wise ^C Clement, he departed to God. As for Simon, insofar as he was a worker of prodigies along with him, he was driven from Rome by Nero, and Peter went again to Jerusalem and the cities of the East; and while illuminating the world with miracles, he encountered Faustinus and Faustinianus—that is to say, Nicetas and Aquila—who were the sons of the most distinguished man, Faustus the Roman, related by blood to Caesar, and brothers of Clement. Having led them away from the prodigious sorceries of Simon, he visited the cities, roots and all, tearing out the seeds of Simon. Finally, he also drew the holy Clement to himself, for, by providing the noble resolution to the latter’s secret questions concerning the soul and the restitution of man, and other great matters, and by answering properly and with a present mind, and furthermore by many miracles and the power of ^D

^A wisdom he became more intimately joined to them. Many years later, he found their noble mother, Matthidia, living in misery on a certain island after a shipwreck; for she, while sailing from Rome to Athens together with her children for the sake of their education, had suffered shipwreck. Although her children had escaped safely here and there by divine providence, she herself, having been cast upon the island, supported her life by spinning wool. The divine Peter, having come there to see the vine-clad columns and finding her—with her aforementioned three sons following him—when she recognized her mother beyond all hope and expectation, he regenerated her through divine baptism. And when their father Faustus also, having set out from Rome in quest of his wife and children, and having traversed Egypt, Syria, and Phoenicia, ^B by divine inspiration also encountered Peter and his own family, he likewise received the sacred laver, and together with them accompanied the apostle throughout the world. Thus, for a long time they were true and certain heralds of his deeds, and together with him they preached Christ. Peter, meanwhile, traveling here and there throughout the inhabited world, established churches everywhere. As for the Roman church, he entrusted it to the successors whom we mentioned above: namely, Linus, Anacletus, and thirdly the holy Clement. Clement himself appears to say that he was chosen by Peter at his death, and reckons himself second after Peter. Others, however, assert that he is the fourth from Peter, among whom is also Eusebius of Caesarea, the son of Pamphilus. Over the Alexandrian church he set Mark; in whose sacred ministry Anianus succeeded him in the eighth year of Nero’s reign. Furthermore, in Antioch, he first appointed Evodius, and after him, the truly God-inspired, the God-bearer Ignatius; ^C whom, while he was still a small child, Christ presented, lifted up by His own hands, to show him as simple and whole; and wishing to show and commend this simplicity and innocence to his disciples, he said that unless they themselves became like him, they would in no way attain the kingdom that was then being preached. For the churches of the Sicilians, he ordained Pancratius, and for other regions, islands, and cities, he appointed other bishops who had received the sacred discipline of Christ from him. In this way did he himself, having traversed Palestine, Syria, Phoenicia, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia—and, in short, to speak of all the regions of Asia and Europe—and having preached the Gospel of Christ by the power and force of the word (with signs and miracles accompanying) ^D to all those Jews and Greeks who were in the Dispersion, arrive at Rome, the queen of all cities, in the final years of Nero, when Paul was also there.

Ματθιδαν,

CHAPTER XXXVI. On the miracles performed by the apostles in Rome; on the ruin of the Antichrist Simon; and on how Peter and Paul completed the struggle of their martyrdom.

^A Now, since both of them were drawing such a multitude by their prodigious miracles that the number of those approaching them was beyond counting, Nero, upon learning of these things—inasmuch as he was emboldened by his rule and turning toward impious deeds—armed himself against piety itself. Having sent out his men, he put many of the faithful Romans to the sword; he slew so many that even the Senate itself was distressed by the slaughter of those who had been killed, for it had already become very weak due to the scarcity of men. ^B From there, a great avenue was opened for Simon to attack the apostles, both in the Senate and before Nero himself. And he—pulling every string, as the saying goes—urged that they be removed from the scene, as if they were the cause of such a multitude having perished. And Nero, later becoming vexed with them, clung all the more to the impostor Simon as if he were a fellow impostor.

Therefore, after Peter had withstood Simon many times, finally, when Simon’s impiety had swollen to its height in Rome, in the presence of everyone, Simon said to Peter: “What do you have to say, then? Is your Christ great because he ascended from the earth to the heavens? To me, this is an easy thing to perform.” And immediately extending his hands, he began to be borne upward, having surrendered himself to the demons that were guiding him. But Peter, being in great anxiety, was communing with God in his heart. And, being filled with the Spirit, he rebuked the powers that were lifting the wicked man on high, and commanded them to depart from him. And immediately he was borne headlong from the height, and being dashed against the ground, he burst asunder and died. ^C But the crowds, who as if to a god had been lifting up their praises, suddenly sang a recantation, seeing him shattered; and they cried out with piercing voices: “One is the great God, who is clearly preached by Peter and Paul.” Indeed, the very place where this most pitiable spectacle occurred is called the Simonium to this day, testifying to the destruction of the Antichrist Simon. Some indeed thought that he might revive again, so he lay in public for a long time; but when he began to decompose and emit a foul odor, they dragged him away and buried him in secrecy.

Nero, having learned that Simon had been destroyed by Peter and Paul, had Peter crucified on wood, as he had asked, for he had deemed himself unworthy to suffer in the same upright position as the Master, and so he might lightly hasten to heaven. He slew Paul with the sword at the same time and on the same day. They were laid on the road...

^A that is called Ostian, in the thirty-seventh year after the saving passion of Christ. They say that Paul had testified to Nero beforehand that he would appear to him alive on the third day after his execution. When this took place, it cast him into consternation. And when, after his death, Paul—just as he had predicted—stood before him certainly and truly, and freely professed that Christ is the true God, and showed that there is no true salvation in any other name than the name of Jesus; they say that he [Nero] tried, but could not at all, to grasp Paul, because that vision suddenly vanished.

CHAPTER XXXVII. Concerning the cruelty and turpitude of Nero: what certain of our ecclesiastical writers have recorded concerning him and the holy departure of the sacred apostles; and concerning the divine form and appearance of their countenances.

Thus did the divine apostles complete the course of their martyrdom. As for Nero, the more the power of his empire grew, the worse he became, and he slid into the most execrable crimes, even taking up arms against the piety that is rendered to God. To recount his wickedness and the unseemliness of his conduct would by no means seem to be the work of the present occasion. Whoever desires to perceive his perversity of name and his manifest madness may consult the records of histories, which have been compiled with faith and care by many concerning his affairs. For since he had become the author of the destruction of very many, he so defiled himself with the guilt of slaughters, doing nothing at all with reason ^B or moderation, that in the end he did not spare even his most beloved ones. Giving his attention to cithara-playing and shameful and lewd songs, dancing ridiculously in the theatre in public, and leaving untried none of the deeds hateful to God, he was the first to be the most bitter enemy of the word of piety—and, having been warned of the plots that were formed against him, he put his own mother, brother, and wife to the sword. Moreover, he cruelly slew countless others of the most illustrious citizens of the Roman city, who were even related to him by blood, by various kinds of punishments. In addition to all these things, he also added this: that he himself was the first of all the emperors to offer the first-fruits of that impiety which was undertaken against God. And thus, as the final point of his madness, this remained: that, having his mind seized by intemperance, he finally laid hands upon himself, having administered the empire with ignominy and extreme disgrace for fourteen years, lacking only a few months. Of this, Tertullian, a Roman writer, also makes mention in these words: "Consult your records. There you will find first of all Nero, ^D this doctrine, when he was most especially in Rome, having subjugated the whole East, was savage to all, and was the first to persecute. We glory in such a leader of our punishment! For he who knows how to understand him is able to see that, had he not been some great good, he would not—under Nero—

have deserved to be condemned. ^A Thus, this enemy of God, having been the first proclaimed, was raised up for the slaughter of the apostles; and Paul is now reported to have been beheaded in Rome itself, and Peter likewise to have been crucified at the same time. The address of Peter and Paul—which has prevailed there until this day regarding the cemeteries—confirms this history. ^B Such are the words of Tertullian. Not less than he, another ecclesiastical man, Gaius by name, who lived in the time of Zephyrinus, bishop of Rome, and who held a disputation against Proclus, the leader of the Cataphrygian heresy, writes thus regarding the places where the sacred tabernacles of the aforementioned apostles are stored: "But I can point out the trophies of the apostles. For if you wish to go to the Vatican or to the Ostian Way, you will find the trophies of those who founded this Church." ^C That both suffered martyrdom at the same time, Dionysius, bishop of Corinth of old, writing to the Romans, shows thus: "These things you also have united by such admonition—the planting of the Roman and Corinthian Church, which was brought about by Peter and Paul. For both came to our Corinth, planting us, and taught in like manner; and likewise, having taught with one accord in Italy, they suffered martyrdom at the same time." I have cited these things so that the facts of apostolic history might be confirmed more accurately. ^D I am not, however, unaware that there are some who say that Paul also finished the end of his life after the passage of one year, on the same day as the martyrdom.

Now, those divine apostles had a stature and form of body, as far as one may determine from the account, as follows. Peter truly was of a middling height of body, yet holding it up somewhat erectly. He was of a pale and quite white complexion; the hair of his head and beard was curly and thick, though not hanging down in excess; his eyes were as if blood-shot and black; his eyebrows were raised; and his nose was long indeed, though not terminating in a sharp point, but rather having it somewhat turned-up. The wondrous Paul was small and contracted in the size of his body, and as if possessing it bent, being small and stooped; his complexion was white, and his face prominent; he was bald-headed; and his eyes were bright, and he had his eyebrows slanting downwards; his nose was beautifully curved, carrying a bend over his whole face. He had a beard that was sufficiently thick and hanging down; it, and his head, were sprinkled with grey hairs. Both disciples of Christ, when looked upon, appeared godlike, filled with the Holy Spirit and divine grace, so that to the faithful who beheld them, even from the mere sight, a hidden grace was invisibly imparted to them, so that they might regulate their life according to faith and be led toward the better. But concerning the chief disciples of Christ, this much suffices.

^A Since their martyrdoms have been set forth, having arrived at this point, it seems logical that I should also touch upon the end of the life of the remaining ten in this second volume; not that they all attained their blessed and happy end at the same time, but because we deemed it necessary that the history should remain for us concise and clear. Then, we intend to make mention of those who embraced marriage, and those who left behind genuine writings to the Church, and thus bring to a conclusion this second volume of the sacred History: so that, after the first, which contains all the deeds of Christ, we might complete this second book regarding the acts of the twelve apostles, even though the history prepared by us grows to a greater length. But I shall relate the death of Peter and Paul, and of James, who was called the brother of the Lord, and who was the first to take upon himself the administration of the Church of Jerusalem, entrusted to him by the Savior Christ himself, or, as some would have it, by the apostles themselves later on (and he was called Oblias, ^B which means "Just"). For when the divine Paul had escaped the snare of the Jews through Festus and his appeal to Caesar, those who had turned back from their schemes devised against Paul, cast their guile against James. What kind of end he met, Hegesippus, who lived in the days immediately following the apostles, records in the fifth book of his Commentaries in this manner: "The brother of the Lord, James, succeeds to the administration of the Church, along with the apostles, he who has been named 'the Just' by all from the times of the Lord until our own, since many have been called James. This man was holy from his mother's womb. He drank neither wine nor strong drink, nor did he eat any living creature; no razor passed upon his head. He did not anoint himself with oil, nor did he use a bath. To him alone it was permitted to enter into the holy places. ^C He did not wear even a woolen garment, but only linen. And he would enter alone into the temple; and he was found reclining upon his knees, and asking for forgiveness for the people, so that his knees had become hardened like a camel's, on account of his constantly kneeling and worshiping God. When, therefore, many even of the rulers believed, there was a tumult among the Jews and scribes and Pharisees, saying that the whole people was in danger of expecting Jesus as the Christ. They came together, therefore, and said to James: 'We beseech you, restrain the people, since they have been led astray concerning Jesus, as if he were the Christ; we beseech you to persuade all who have come for the day of the Passover concerning Jesus. For we all obey you; ^D for we and the whole people testify to you that you are just, and that you do not respect persons. Persuade, therefore, the multitude not to be led astray concerning Jesus; for all the people and we all obey you. Stand, therefore, upon the pinnacle of the temple, so that from up above you may be manifest,

and your words may be heard by all the multitude. For because of the feast of the Passover, all the tribes ^A have come together with the nations." The aforementioned scribes and Pharisees therefore placed James upon the pinnacle of the temple, and they cried out to him, saying: "Just one, we all ought to obey you; and since the people are being led astray after Jesus who was crucified, proclaim to us what is the door of Jesus." And he answered with a loud voice: "Why do you ask me about Jesus, the Son of man? He himself is sitting in heaven at the right hand of the great power, and he is going to come upon the clouds of heaven." And when many were fully persuaded and were glorifying [God] at the testimony of James, and were saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David," then again the same scribes and Pharisees said to one another: "We have done badly by providing such a testimony to Jesus. But let us go up and cast him down, so that, being terrified, they might not believe in him." And they cried out, saying: "Oh, oh, even the Just one has been led astray." And going up, they cast down the Just one, and said to one another, "Let us stone him." And they began to stone him. But since, upon being ^B cast down, he did not die, but turned and knelt down, saying: "I beseech You, Lord God Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Thus, I say, as they were proceeding to stone him, one of the priests of the sons of Rechab, of whom the prophet Jeremiah testified, cried out, saying: "Stop! What are you doing? The Just one is praying for us." And one of the fullers, having taken the club with which he pressed the clothes, brought it down upon the head of the Just one. And thus he won the crown of martyrdom, in the seventh year of the reign of Nero; and they buried him on the spot beside the temple, and this pillar still remains there. This true witness was for both Jews and Greeks, that Jesus is the Christ. And immediately the siege against the Jews and the blockade of the city of Jerusalem began. So wondrous and renowned for his justice was James, that even the wiser men among the Jews admit this to be the cause of their siege, namely the crime committed against him; just as Josephus himself also testifies in writing, saying in one place: "These things happened to the Jews as retribution for James the Just, who was the brother of Jesus, the one called Christ; inasmuch as the Jews killed him, though he was the most righteous ^C of men." But also in the twentieth book of the *Antiquities*, he reveals his death through these words: "Caesar, having learned of the death of Festus, sends Albinus as governor to Judea. But Ananus the younger, whom we said had taken the high priesthood, was savage in personality and exceptionally bold. He followed the sect of the Sadducees, who are, in legal judgments, more severe than all the Jews. Since, therefore, such a man was Ananus, having thought he had a convenient opportunity, because Festus was dead and Albinus was still on the road, he convenes a sanhedrin of judges; and having brought before it the brother of Jesus, the one called Christ, whose name was James, and some ^D others..."

he caused them to be stoned as if they had violated the law. ^A However, those who appeared to be the most equitable of the citizens and the most precise in regard to the laws were deeply grieved by this. They sent to the king secretly, exhorting him to write to Ananus to stop doing such things; for they asserted that he had not acted correctly the first time either. Some of them even went to meet Albinus, who was traveling from Alexandria, and informed him that it was not permitted for Ananus to convene a sanhedrin without his judgment and consent. Albinus, persuaded by what was said, wrote with anger to Ananus, threatening to exact punishment from him. Therefore, it seems that King Agrippa, for this reason, stripped him of the priesthood, having governed for three months, and conferred it upon Jesus, son of Damnaeus. ^B Such are the matters regarding James, whose epistle is believed to be the first among the Catholic Epistles, as is also that of Jude, written with magnificent and great freedom, although the most ancient writers make no mention of either.

Chapter XXXIX.

On the most holy apostles Andrew and Bartholomew, how they were honored by martyrdom for Christ.

After him, also Andrew, the brother of the coryphaeus Peter, who first recognized the Lord through the testimony of John, and who also first drew his own brother to Him, rightly and as indeed became him who had been called first, continued to follow in His footsteps until Christ’s ascension into heaven, and fulfilled his office. ^C And having received from heaven the grace of the Holy Spirit in the form of fiery tongues, the province that fell to him by lot was to be sent to the nations: namely, to Cappadocia, Galatia, and Bithynia. Having traversed these, he also came to that which is called the land of the Anthropophagi, and to the solitudes of the Scythians, and to both shores of the Euxine Sea, and the regions to the north and south of it, and even to the soil of Byzantium. There, in the church which he was the first to establish, he appointed the divine Stachys as the first bishop. Then, having passed through Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, and Achaia—in all of which provinces, for a long time, glorifying Christ with divine discourses and miraculous signs and wonders ^D—he was finally also fixed to a cross by the proconsul Aegeates, an accusation having been brought against him that he had taught his wife, Maximilla, and his brother, Stratocles, to abhor his impiety and had led them to the faith of Christ. To Philip and Bartholomew, Syria and upper Asia had been allotted. And having laid the foundations of the faith in all the cities of those regions, they built temples and appointed priests. Philip, indeed, passing through the cities of Asia...

arrived at Hierapolis in Phrygia, a city opulent and celebrated, and one that lived up to its name. But it was so addicted to idols that it even worshipped a viper—an impure and venomous beast—kept in a shrine, as if it were a god, honoring it with magnificent and exceptional worship, nurturing it with certain sacrifices, and attending to it with supernatural zeal. But when the Apostle arrived in that place, accompanied by his sister, Mariamne, who had determined to pass her life in virginity, the idolatry of the country was straightway extinguished, and the boldness of the resident demons was weakened. Indeed, the aforementioned "God" the viper broke forth from its dwelling and fled as if from a burning fire, and those who had attended to it were covered in shame. ^B For since a great number of miracles and prodigies were flowing forth through Philip and Mariamne, a sedition was stirred up among the multitude; for some attached themselves to the God of Bartholomew and Philip—for Bartholomew had recently been sent by the Lord as a helper to Philip—while others still remained stuck in their demoniacal delusion. These, having formed a conspiracy and fallen upon them all at once, violently seized Philip and, like a sacrificial victim, hung him head downward upon a pillar; but they suspended Bartholomew upright upon a beam in the shape of a cross. ^C While they were in this posture, they turned to prayer; and the ground straightway gave way, sinking to a great depth, and the crowds were dragged down with it, and thus the whole city fell into the greatest danger. Then those who were left, perceiving that this destruction and slaughter was a vengeance for the insult that had been contumeliously committed against the holy ministers of Christ, all straightway embraced the faith in Christ. And Bartholomew was released from those bonds, ^D who, having piously buried the brave Philip, who had at that time been perfected by martyrdom, and having enlightened the whole city and committed it to Christ, after some time later he himself, having been hung on a cross again in Urbanopolis of the province of Cilicia, ran to the only desired Christ.

CHAPTER XL. Of Thomas, James of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas who is also called Lebbaeus, and Matthias who was chosen in the place of the traitor.

How, indeed, could we pass over the most vehement love for Christ of Thomas, who is also called Didymus? For when he had been allotted the mission to the Ethiopians and Indians, he was exhausted and shrinking from the journey; for, recoiling from the black and deformed appearance of those nations, and furthermore from the darkened and intractable state of their minds, he delayed his arrival among them. But the One who is beautiful in form appeared to him openly and clearly, and urged him to take up his ministry. And to make him certain and secure, He promised that He would be with him throughout his whole life and would bring him aid in his struggles. Moreover, He even sold him to a certain one of the Ethiopians, for whom the life of a merchant was of less profit. And so it was that

^A he made his entry among the Ethiopians. From there he became known to Smindaeus, the ruler of that region, and by ministering the heavenly kingdom to him, and by striking the Parthians, Medes, Indians, and the Ethiopians themselves with astonishment at his divine wonders and extraordinary deeds, he brought to the faith all those who happened to inhabit the farthest reaches of the eastern land and the remote parts of the Ocean; he even enlightened with the preaching of the Word the island which they call Taprobane, and the nation of the Brachmanes. Having everywhere established most magnificent temples and all other things properly and holily as was fitting, he was finally pierced in the side with spears, and passed to Him whose side he himself had touched. ^B Furthermore, James the son of Alphaeus, who was also one of the Twelve, according to the will and guidance of the life-giving Spirit who led him, was separated from the body of the apostles and, having spent some time in Gaza first, then in Eleutheropolis and in the neighboring cities of the same people, he performed most significant wonders. By the supernatural words of the Holy Spirit, which he brought to the Gentiles with invincible power, the testimony of Christ’s kingdom received the greatest growth. Afterward, arriving at the Egyptians and their farthest region, and preaching Christ as Savior and God, he finally came to the city which is called Ostracine, where he spent a long time. Having struggled with very many dangers and contests, he was eventually—in order to confirm the salvation of those whom he had taught—nailed to a cross by certain ones who were resisting the word of the faith, so that not even in this did his imitation of the death of his Master fall much short. It is also worth the effort to include here Simon, born in Cana of Galilee, who, because of his burning zeal for his Master and his supreme care for the evangelical mission in all things, was surnamed the Zealot. For after he received the descent of the All-Holy Spirit from heaven, he traversed Egypt, Cyrene, and Africa, then Mauritania and all of Libya, preaching the Gospel; he carried the same doctrine even to the western ocean and the British islands. Celebrating Christ as was fitting with many signs and wonders and divine teaching, and furthermore meeting with countless hardships and afflictions, he too finally accepted death by the cross with incredible joy and passed to his Master. ^C But no less was divine Judas—not the Iscariot, but the other, who had a double surname, namely Thaddaeus and Lebbaeus—the son of Joseph and brother of James, who had been thrown from the pinnacle of the temple, who first took in the net of the Gospel Judaea and Galilee, Samaria and Idumaea, the cities of Arabia, and moreover the regions of Syria and Mesopotamia. Finally, he arrived at Edessa, the city of Abgar, where previously the other Thaddaeus, who was one of the seventy, had proclaimed the things concerning Christ; and having fulfilled in the best possible way what was wanting in that other man’s ministry, and having glorified Christ by divine speech and extraordinary deeds, ^D

he departed peacefully and quietly to Him. Moreover, Matthias, who had repaired the loss to the number of the twelve apostles, went into the first Ethiopia; and there, from wild, hostile, and savage peoples, he endured many things. When, however, he had done all that was required by both words and actions in preaching the divine Gospel, and had added a great multitude of people to Christ, he received with an intrepid and brave spirit the crown of martyrdom. ^A

CHAPTER XLI.

Concerning the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew.

Matthew, having been taken from the receipt of custom, and having obtained a grace no less than the primary apostles by his fiery tongue, was the first to write, for the Hebrews, the history of the sacred Gospels. This holy apostle also, through many journeys, moving from one region and people to another in succession, and having finished his preaching of the Gospel, was finally led by the Holy Spirit to the land of the Anthropophagi, coming to a city by the name of Myrmena. In that place he declared his follower, Plato, to be bishop; and he himself, going up onto a hill near the city, prayed that the salvation of those people might be revealed to him. While the apostle was acting in this way, the Lord Jesus, appearing in the likeness of a beautiful boy, stood near him and invoked peace upon him; then, having handed to him a rod, He said, "Going down into the city to the gate of the church which you and Andrew built, plant this; and it will immediately grow into a great and high tree." ^B He promised that its fruit would be very plentiful, greatly surpassing others in size and exceedingly different in taste, and that a fountain of abundant and clear water would sprout ^C from its root. In this water, He promised, whoever of the Anthropophagi washed would have their appearance transformed to a more comely form, and their hearts, casting off their savage ferocity, would turn toward gentleness and mildness, and they would be altogether changed for the better.

As he was descending, the prince of that city met him, together with his wife and child. (Fulvianus were the names for the father and the son, and Fulviana for the mother.) They were being tormented by evil spirits. Having immediately laid his hands upon them, he drove away those who were causing the affliction. He then planted the rod, and straightway it was transformed into a tree. ^D And the fountain began to gush water from the root, pleasant to drink and clear. When the multitude gathered, struck with astonishment at the miracle, he, standing on an elevated place, proclaimed the saving message in the native language of that people. And immediately, with their whole soul, they were baptized in the water flowing from thence. And having also tasted the fruit of the tree, they enjoyed that most beautiful transformation. But Fulvianus, being immediately led by repentance, and seeing the multitude flocking to the apostle, was vexed, burning with a sinister jealousy; and with an army

^A of soldiers, he attempted to seize him. But when they could not, he himself took a great multitude with him and went against him; and he was struck by an invisible whip and lost his sight. ^B Having there besought the apostle with many prayers, he indeed received the original power of his eyes, but his heart remained still blind. And without any delay, he ordered the apostle to be fastened to the ground with long nails, and his ministers, piling up much brushwood and other material easily consumed by fire, heaped pitch and bitumen upon him and ignited a fire underneath. But contrary to expectation, it turned into a cooling dew. Seeing this, the multitude joined themselves to the God of Matthew. But the prince, on the other hand, believing that the things happening to the apostle were sorcery, and becoming thoroughly enraged in his anger, ordered his man-made gods of silver and gold—which were twelve in number—to be brought out; and having set them around the pyre of Matthew, he ordered it to be ignited, so that by their assistance the fire might perform its office. When these things were done, they ignited the fuel. But the fire went more against the gods and melted them down as they flowed away. ^C And an image like a burning serpent leapt forth from there, and crawled behind the prince, and pursued him with a great hissing, so that it was not easy for him to flee back into his palace. Therefore, being in despair of all things, he turned again to the apostle, begging to be delivered from the impulse of the serpent following him. But the apostle, because the hour was already at hand when he should depart to the longed-for Christ, setting all things aside, rebuked the fire, and it was suddenly extinguished, and that serpent vanished. Then, having set forth to the prince the necessary final commandments and confirmed them all in prayer, he gave up his spirit in peace and passed to Christ. His sacred body, indeed, having been placed in a golden bed and wrapped in splendid garments, Fulvianus brought into the palace. And he ordered it to be enclosed in an iron chest, well-fortified with lead in addition, and cast into the sea, thinking thus: If he who protected that chest from the fire, even if it were to float on the surface, would also save it from the water in an iron casket, he himself, having rejected all his own gods, would serve the one God whom he had preached, through a life of piety. ^D When, therefore, it was cast into the sea, and immediately by a divine hand guiding it from heaven it was exposed again upon the shore, the whole population, having poured out from the city with Bishop Plato leading them, worshipped with hymns and praises the God preached by Matthew. Fulvianus, however, having set all other things aside, received the divine baptism and assumed for himself the name of Matthew, by a certain hidden and secret guidance of the apostle. And at the same time, all who were under his rule, casting off their ancestral superstition, embraced the divine bath. Three years after this passed, and Plato the bishop also departed to the eternal tabernacles. Furthermore, while the bishop was still living, Fulvianus relinquished his authority to another, and he himself, putting on the form of humility and having been initiated into the holy mysteries of the Christians, accepted the ordination of a presbyter from the divine Plato; who, after his departure from here, at the instigation of the divine apostle through a vision by night, and

^A assumed also the honor of the episcopate. And when he had duly ministered to the holy Gospel, and had gained many for God through the faith, he exchanged this life for a better one.

CHAPTER XLII.

Concerning the holy apostle and evangelist John, and his divine translation.

There remains for us the beloved disciple who reclined upon the Master's breast; whose journeys, and the miracles and divine works manifested in them, and his wondrous and mystical discourses concerning God—just as with the deeds of the other disciples and apostles—to set forth in detail, I consider to be beyond my powers, and also ^B alien to the work which I have in hand. However, the records of history reveal that this most divine Evangelist, after the ascension of Jesus into the heavens, lived with the Mother of God in the house which we have written was in Sion, until her departure to the Lord. Afterward, he proclaimed Christ through the Gospel in Asia, and there he leveled the temple of Artemis to the ground. But in the time of the persecution under Domitian, he was condemned to exile and relegated to the island of Patmos in the fourteenth year of his reign, where, full of the Holy Spirit, he thundered his Gospel in a sublime manner, and brought forth his holy and divinely inspired Apocalypse. ^C And then, after the death of Domitian, he returned to Ephesus in Asia, and governed the churches there; he established temples, taught the whole clergy, and trained the sacred ministers of the churches to perfection by the instinct of the Holy Spirit. And when at one time he was in a certain city, and had observed a youth of liberal and honest countenance, yet of a fervent spirit and disposition, he looked at the bishop of that place and said, "I entrust this one to you with all diligence, with Christ and His Church as my witness." And he received him, having promised that he would omit nothing in training him. John then sailed back to Ephesus. But that bishop took the youth into his home and cherished him, and led him to the light of knowledge and doctrine. ^D As time went on, however, he relaxed that attentive diligence and care, as if he had already impressed upon him the supreme and perfect seal of Christ. But the youth, having been granted power before the proper time, and furthermore being corrupted by his peers who were idle, stubborn, and steeped in evil ways, and impatient of all discipline, was first led away by them to illicit and untimely banquets for plunder, and soon thereafter invited a second and a third time to commit crimes. Then, indeed, the further he went, the more he became accustomed to wickedness and flagrant acts,

^A proceeding like a high-spirited horse champing at its bit, he fell into the abyss. And when he had already lost every better hope and had himself despaired of his own salvation, he embraced the life of robbers and brigands, ^B and indeed acted as a leader to the company of evildoers he had gathered himself, and by far surpassing others in ferocity and the cruelty of his slaughters, he would frequently make sudden attacks upon travelers. Some years passed by, and the Apostle was there again. He said to the bishop, "Come then, restore to me the deposit which I entrusted to you, with Christ as my witness." The other was struck with amazement, thinking himself to be falsely accused regarding money which he had not received. For he certainly could not bring himself to disbelieve John, yet he could not be persuaded of things of which he had no knowledge. But when he demanded the young man and his soul, he [the bishop], heaving a deep sigh and shedding tears, said: "He is long since dead." "For he has turned into a most wicked and abandoned man; and, to tell you the root of the evils, he is a robber; and having abandoned the Church, he has taken over the mountain with a certain band [of men]." Then the Apostle, rending his garment and beating his head with much wailing and lamentation, said: "What a noble guardian I have appointed for the soul of my brother! Provide me with a horse, and let someone be my guide for the way." And immediately he rode off from that place, leaving the church; and upon arriving at the region, he was seized by that man's scouts; he neither attempting to flee nor begging off, but claiming that he had come for this very reason, and requested to be led to their leader. He [the leader], meanwhile, as he happened to be armed, stood in the road. But when he recognized John approaching him little by little, he retreated as fast as he could. John, however, forgetting his old age and all other things, pursued him, crying out with a mighty and clear voice: "Why do you flee from me, young man, from an old man, your own father, unarmed and defenseless? Do not let fear take hold of you! There is still hope of life remaining for you. I will give an account to Christ for you; ^C and if it should be necessary, I will even readily lay down my own soul for yours. Stop and believe, for Christ has sent me." Upon hearing these things, he first stood still, looking down at the ground; then he laid aside his weapons; and seized by great trembling, he lamented bitterly. And he embraced the approaching Apostle, begging off with his tears as best he could, and kneeling, he held his right hand alone to his bosom. Then John added an oath, promising him salvation and remission of his sins from the Savior, and kissed his right hand, which was now purified through repentance, and brought him back into the church. There, dedicating himself with him in frequent prayers and continuous fasts, and soothing the swelling of his soul as if by an incantation with the sweet siren-song of his words, he did not depart from that place before he had firmly restored him to the church, providing a great and most beautiful example of repentance to the churches, a trophy of a resurrection seen before the general resurrection. These things Clement the Stromatist recorded in his tract, "Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved?" I, for my part, having reached this point, think it necessary to note also the manner of the holy translation [departure] of this divine Apostle. For as he had already known in advance of his departure to God, and the day and the hour, he took the priests and ministers of the Church, and as many of the brothers as were burning with faith, and went outside the city of Ephesus; and on a certain hill near the gates, which was accustomed for him there

^A to resort for prayer, he becomes intense in his supplication and commended the churches to God. He ordered them to dig a grave as quickly as possible with certain hoes and mattocks; then he began to instruct them. Having therefore prepared those who were present with theology and extraordinary exhortations, in faith and hope, and more especially in love—even as he was the beloved—he took hold of their hearts, and having commended them to the Saviour Word, and having bestowed the final kiss in the Lord, and having fortified himself with the sign of the cross, before everyone's eyes, he enters the tomb; ^B and he ordered them to place the slab above, and to secure it more firmly, and for those coming thereafter to open the grave and see clearly. He, then, as he was made ready in his burial garments, going down into the pit and lying down, straightway fell into the sleep owed to the righteous, having reached a ripe old age, in the sixty-eighth year after the Passion of the Saviour Christ. For it is necessary to obey him, or rather Christ, and the wise Chrysostom, who brings forward in testimony of his death [the passage], *And Jesus did not say to him that he does not die, but, If I will that he remain until I come* (having destroyed Jerusalem; for he remained until that time and even further, into the times of Trajan), *what is that to thee?* ^C This, then, happened in this way. But a certain ineffable glory of God, at an hour which He alone knows, shining forth immediately, transformed his mortal and earthly body into an incorruptible and immortal one (O the miracle!), and received it into the divine paradise, together with the all-hymned Mother of God, who had become his mother by grace. For it was fitting that he, in a quiet way, should have shared in incorruptibility, having acquired as his mother the ever-virgin and uncorrupted one, having been loved preternaturally by Christ, and having become a brother of that storehouse of immortality. And so, those to whom this had been entrusted having gone on the next day, according to the command, they found the grave empty, with nothing else there, but only the burial cloths remaining. And these are the matters concerning John. ^D Regarding blessed John the Evangelist, his minister, to whom as a virgin the Virgin was entrusted by Christ, many assert that nowhere in his sepulchre (as it is said) is anything found except manna, which is also seen to spring forth. But we are in doubt as to which of these things is the truer to be judged. It is better, however, to commit the whole matter to God, for whom nothing is impossible, than to wish to define anything rashly by our own authority, which we do not approve.

Chapter XLIII.

Now, I think I must also include Mark and the divine Luke among these, even though they are counted among the seventy disciples, since the one was a disciple of Peter, and the other, Luke, of Paul; and as evangelists, it is proper to number them with the two greatest evangelists. Indeed, I have already said enough in the present book concerning Mark and his preaching in Egypt. He was a nephew of Peter the apostle. Under Tiberius Caesar, he evangelized and announced the Word of Christ to Egypt, Libya, and the entire Barbaria. Having written his Gospel at the dictation and with the approval of Peter, he performed many wonders among the Cyrenians and Pentapolitans, built churches, and duly and orderly appointed clergy, bishops, and whatever else was needed. He eventually returned to Alexandria, where he lived with certain brothers in a place called Bucolus, preaching Christ with boldness. ^B The idolaters there suddenly attacked him, bound his feet with ropes, and dragged him cruelly through the city. His body was dashed against the stones and torn to pieces, and blood flowed from it in abundance. Then they shut the holy man in prison, where the Lord appeared to him, foretelling his future glory. Dragged out of prison again, they pulled him inhumanly through the streets. Dragged in this way, he finally committed his spirit to God, while the graces of his body shone with, and corresponded to, the virtues of his soul. He was of established stature and age, and was gray-haired.

As for Luke, he was born in Antioch, which is in Coelesyria; by trade a physician, but also most skilled in the art of painting. While in the seven-gated city of Thebes, he encountered the divine Paul, renounced his ancestral error, and drew near to Christ, becoming a physician of souls instead of a healer of bodies. He wrote his Gospel at the dictation of Paul, and likewise the Acts of the Apostles. ^C After having been in Rome with Paul, he returned again to Greece. Having guided many with the light of divine knowledge, he was hanged by those who despised the divine Word upon a fruit-bearing olive tree—for there was no dry wood available from which a cross could be fashioned—and he commended his spirit to God, having reached the age of eighty, as they say. ^D When his body was buried among many other tombs, it was revealed through the prayer of the faithful. For God sent down healing salves [collyria] from heaven onto his tomb, as a sign, I think, of his care and healing. Whence his tomb also became known to all the faithful. It is also said that he was the first to portray, through the art of painting, the icon of Christ and of her who gave birth to him in a manner befitting God, and also of the leaders of the apostles; and from thence, such an pious and most precious work was carried forth into the whole inhabited world. And his sacred...

^A Relics indeed worthy of any honor, Constantius, son of Constantine the Great, brought through Artemius, that greatest martyr, from Thebes, just as also those of him who was first called to the apostolate, Andrew, from Patras of Achaia, and likewise those of the apostle Timothy from Ephesus in Asia, and deposited them with reverence in the temple dedicated to the holy apostles in the city named after his father. But regarding the divine disciples of Christ, let these things suffice. For in the third book we shall recount the history of the remaining apostles and their successors, and what writings each of them left behind. For the present, those matters must be pursued: who were the apostles of Christ; which of them were married; who published accounts of the things done by Christ; who also wrote epistles; and which writings, as irrefragable and testamentary, the Church received, and which it rejected as spurious and forged.

CHAPTER XLIV.

Who the twelve disciples and apostles of Christ were, and which of them contracted marriage.

^B There were indeed twelve apostles, and seventy disciples; and besides these, countless others. Since, however, many are ignorant as to who the disciples were, I thought it necessary to insert their sacred names into this writing. The leader and prince of the band is Peter; second, his brother Andrew; third, James, who is called the son of Zebedee; and John his brother, that beloved one, who is at once virgin and the one who reclined upon the breast of the Master; fifth, Philip; sixth, Bartholomew; seventh, Thomas; then the evangelist Matthew, eighth; ninth after these, James the son of Alphaeus, ^C not the other who was called the brother of the Lord; tenth, Judas, who was also called Thaddaeus and by another name, Lebbaeus; who was indeed the son of Joseph the betrothed, but the brother of James, who was named brother of God; eleventh among these, Simon the Zealot; and the twelfth, the traitor Judas; for he, having burst asunder by the insatiable greed of avarice, Matthias fulfilled the number twelve. These, then, are in truth the disciples of Christ. But Paul, the vessel of election, is not numbered either among the twelve or among the seventy; but he is in all, and before all, ^D and with all, inasmuch as he was called from heaven, and labored for the propagation of the divine Gospel more abundantly than all. Of these, some embraced matrimony, as Clement the compiler states in the third book of the commentaries which he entitles *Stromata*; for, declaiming sharply against those who reject marriage, he proceeds word for word as follows: «Or will they reject even the apostles? For Peter and Philip begat children; and Philip also gave his daughters in marriage to men. And Paul, too, does not hesitate in a certain epistle to address his own wife, whom he did not take about with him, so that it might be easier and more unimpeded for him... 212

ministerial office.” Concerning blessed Peter, to be sure, in the seventh book of the aforementioned authors, he says: “The blessed Peter, when he saw his own wife being led to death, was gripped by a great joy, both because she was being called by God and because she was returning to her own true home; and he addressed and exhorted her most beautifully, calling her by name: ‘Remember, my dear, the Lord, I beseech you.’” Such was the state of the marriage of these blessed people: so perfect was the affection of their souls for one another, as they were dearest to each other.

But Polycrates also, the bishop of the Ephesian community, writing to Victor, the bishop of Rome, makes mention of Philip and his daughters, and of John the Evangelist, in these words: ^B “For in Asia great lights of our confession have fallen asleep, which shall be raised up on the last day of the coming of Christ, in which He shall come with glory from heaven and shall seek out all the saints: Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who sleeps in Hierapolis, and his two daughters who grew old as virgins. And his other daughter, having walked in the Holy Spirit, rests in Ephesus. And furthermore, John, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, who became a priest wearing the petalon, and a martyr and teacher, he too has fallen asleep in Ephesus.”

Indeed, Gaius also, whom we mentioned a little earlier, writing similarly to a certain Proclus, says this: “After him, there were four prophetesses, the daughters of Philip, in Hierapolis in Asia. Their tomb is there, as is that of their father.” Divine Luke also mentions in the Acts of the Apostles the other Philip—not the apostle—and his daughters, noting how they were adorned with the grace of the prophetic spirit, ^C when he was at Caesarea in Palestine with their father, writing in these words: “We came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. He had four daughters who prophesied.”

However, to many great men among us, it does not seem that Paul had a wife; and they gather this from his words by which he commends virginity and celibacy, when he says: “I wish indeed that all were as I am.” But as for the expression, “Help me and you, loyal yokefellow,” they think it was said not to a woman, but to some man who was perhaps addressed in that way.

Chapter XLV.

Thus far we have spoken of the names of the twelve apostles and which of them were married. Now, as for those who have left behind writings that are considered legitimate and testamentary, and concerning the sacred four Gospels, the divine Acts of the Apostles, and then the Catholic Epistles, together with others, and their order, and also what the Church deems rejected. And first, we must record something concerning the divine Gospels.

^A Since we know that only two of the Twelve, Matthew and John, and two others from the Seventy, Mark and Luke, have written accounts of the Lord's life, the argument necessarily holds that they were compelled to come to the task of writing. Directly, the first, Matthew the publican, having preached the saving word to the Hebrews, and because he was eager to depart to other nations, left behind his Gospel in his native tongue fifteen years after Christ’s ascension, compensating for his absence with the writing he provided. A long time later, after Mark and Luke had produced their editions of the Gospels under the direction of Peter and Paul, John—who had previously used only unwritten preaching—is believed to have come to the work of writing last of all, thirty-six years after Christ’s ascension into heaven, for this reason: the writings of the three evangelists had already been published to all, and when they came into John's hands, he deemed them worthy of acceptance and attested to their truth. However, he maintained that they were lacking in certain respects, specifically regarding what the Savior had done in the earliest days of His preaching. For indeed, those three record only the deeds performed by the Savior in the one year following the imprisonment of John, and they indicate this ^B at the beginnings of their books. For Matthew begins his own account immediately after the forty-day fast and the temptation that followed it. “For hearing,” he says, “that John was delivered up, Jesus withdrew from Judea into Galilee.” Mark wrote the same: “After John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee.” Similarly, Luke also, before he begins to relate the deeds concerning Christ, recounts matters regarding John and Herod, and how he cast John into prison, and only then sets forth the acts of Christ. Hence, the Apostle John was urged to compose in his own Gospel the period prior to John’s imprisonment and the deeds performed by the Savior during that time. He indicates this in various ways: sometimes by saying, ^C “This beginning of His miracles Jesus made”; at other times, while mentioning the Baptist in the midst of the deeds of Jesus, he goes through many details about them, as when he says, “For he was still baptizing in Aenon near Salim city,” to which he adds, “For John had not yet been cast into prison,” which clearly proves this. It is evident, therefore, that John records in his writing the events before his own imprisonment, while the other three record those after the imprisonment. Hence, to those who examine these matters with precision, the evangelists would not appear to conflict, if the one [John] covered the earlier deeds of Christ, and as far as ^D those things were done, the others recorded what followed. Therefore, to those who observe these things with such accurate reasoning, the evangelists will by no means appear to differ if this one [John] captured the earlier deeds of Christ.

[alt-version omitted]

^A It is demonstrated that, while John passed over the carnal genealogy of the Savior, which had been previously described by Matthew and Luke, he begins from the theology, as if from something superior, which had been entrusted to him by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps one might adduce other reasons why John decided to write his Gospel. For precisely because they had omitted that great miracle of the resurrected Lazarus, the highest specimen of the future resurrection, and neither touched upon that true theology and generation lacking a beginning, nor the supreme commands of the dying Savior, which stand in the place of a testament, he seems to have had sufficient cause to add his own Gospel to those three. ^B Regarding Marcus, we have already related in the fifteenth chapter of this book the cause that led him also to write his own. For when Peter was acting courageously against Simon, and was opposing his devastation, and at the same time bringing the light of the faith to the Western shore, he instilled such a desire for his sermons into the souls of his hearers that they could not be satisfied with the living voice. Wherefore they asked Mark, who was accompanying the apostle at that time, to leave them in written record the sermons delivered by Peter. The apostle was delighted by their eager desire, and dictated the Gospel to Mark, and ordained that it be read in the churches thereafter. Such a cause for the Gospel according to Mark is recounted by Clement in the sixth book of his *Outlines*; and likewise by Papias, the bishop of Hierapolis, as we have explained more fully a little earlier—that is, in the fifteenth chapter of the present volume. ^C But the divine Luke, beginning his treatise, sets forth the reason why he came to write. For he says that, as many had rashly set forth a narrative of those things of which he himself had been thoroughly informed, he was driven by necessity to write the Gospel, in order to cleanse the account of uncertain composition and to set forth the firm form of the words of truth, as someone who had lived with Paul and the remaining apostles, and had been altogether profited by their company, conversation, and habitual association. These are the genuine and native Gospels of the apostles, promulgated from the very beginning, and held in the Church as being of undoubted and certain faith. ^D The same Luke also composed the book of the Acts of the Apostles, as it is said, at the bidding of Paul. And indeed, two from the twelve and two from the seventy disciples and apostles completed the writing of the four Gospels. Furthermore, the divine James, brother of the Lord, composed one catholic epistle for the twelve tribes; Peter issued two, and the divinely inspired John three; Judas, the brother of James—or perhaps he should be called the brother of the Lord—wrote one; which all seven in number the Church has long since received as genuine and native, and has enrolled them in the number of the books of the New Testament, just as it did the fourteen of the divine Paul.

^A And, as he had been caught up even unto the third heaven, and carried away into the God-pleasing paradise, and deemed worthy to hear those unspeakable words. Lastly, we know that the Apocalypse of John was also delivered to the Church. Whatever is beyond these is spurious and forged. As to the order of the books, it has occurred to me to speak of the causes of these writings, and of those who set them forth.

CHAPTER XLVI.

Regarding certain books of the Testament called into doubt, and how they later obtained strength and authority; also regarding spurious and adulterine writings that are altogether to be rejected.

Since there were some among the ancients who marked with an obelus many of the books that we have mentioned as being safely delivered to the Church, let us speak briefly on this matter as well, and having brought forward what Eusebius Pamphili has said, let us bring this second volume to a close. ^B Regarding the four aforementioned Gospels, no one to this day has ever raised a controversy, and all have professed them to be genuine and native. The same is to be said of the book of Acts.

Those which have been held in doubt are as follows: First among the Catholic epistles, that of James the brother of the Lord, and the seventh, that of Jude his brother; as well as the second epistle of Peter, for an uncertain opinion existed among the ancients regarding these. As for the three of John, except for the first, the two that follow were for a long time spoken against; and the account held that they were the work of another John, a presbyter, who resided in Ephesus after John, as Papias of Hierapolis says, ^C recording that there were two monuments in Ephesus of two men of the same name, John; of which he says he himself was a disciple of one, namely the presbyter. For when he lists the elders of the apostles, he also makes mention of these two, saying thus: "But if any one should come who had been a follower of the presbyters, I used to inquire of the words of the presbyters: what Andrew, or Peter, or Philip, or James, or what John, or Matthew, or any other of the disciples of the Lord had said; and what Aristion and the presbyter John. For I did not suppose that things from books would profit me as much as those from a living voice." ^D Some have imagined, then, that the second and third epistles and, moreover, the Apocalypse, belong to this presbyter of the church of the Ephesians. But as for the epistles of Paul, except for that to the Hebrews, they have all remained of undoubted and certain authority. Clement of Rome, when he makes mention of that same epistle, fittingly employs the authority of certain passages within it. Whence it is sufficiently apparent that its edition is not new, and that it is rightly reckoned among the other writings of Paul. The cause, indeed, for which there has been doubt regarding its authority, appears to be this: that in this work the divine Apostle does not in his usual manner set forth his own name, just as when

^A he did in his other epistles; but this he did, that he might not disturb them from the very introduction, as though he had changed his mind; whence he omitted his own name, as is logical. Moreover, seeing that the Apostle spoke to the Hebrews in their native tongue, some say that the evangelist Luke, while others say Clement, interpreted this epistle, which view it is better to trust. For the character of the style in the Epistle to the Hebrews is clearly preserved, being similar in all respects to the epistle of Clement, and the thoughts in both are not altogether different. Although these things seemed doubtful to those of old, we have nevertheless known that afterward they obtained an irrefragable authority among all the churches under heaven; and as standard principles and elements of our piety, they remain eternal. ^B Indeed, we ought to know as spurious and forged such works as the so-called Preaching of Peter, and the Gospel according to him, and what has been named the book of his Acts, and his proclaimed Apocalypse. We have received, however, among the works of ambiguous authority, the book of the Acts of Paul, and that which bears the title of the Shepherd, which some think to be the composition of Hermas, whom Paul also, in the Epistle to the Romans, considers worthy of a greeting. To some, this also seemed most necessary, providing no small utility, especially to those who are primarily learning the rudiments of piety. Not a few of the ancient writers, indeed, have certainly used it. Among the spurious works [is also] the epistle that is circulated as Barnabas’, and the [writings] that are called the Doctrines of the Apostles; and let the Gospel according to the Hebrews be numbered already among these, in which those who came to Christ from among the Hebrews especially delighted. ^C It became necessary for me to make mention of these things, both those of the books admitted according to the true tradition of the Church, and the others, which though disputed, have been confirmed by a very long time and reckoned among all as canonical, so that we might know both which are the genuine Scriptures of the Church, and which are attributed, by those who are of the so-called knowledge, to any one of the first Apostles—Peter, for instance, or Thomas, and Matthias, and perhaps the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles of some others, such as those they put forth in the names of Andrew and John, of which no one of the apostolic successors or of the ecclesiastical writers who followed has made mention. ^D The style also departs far from the apostolic diction and character. The purpose and intent of what is promised in these works also contradicts what the title promises, and falls very far short of the true doctrine of the truth itself; from which it is permissible to infer that such writings were fabricated by men agitated by the impositions of evil demons. For which reason, we should not touch them as being spurious and adulterine; but we should avoid them as altogether absurd, and should flee from them with all our might; but we must pay heed to those [true books] alone as divinely inspired, and believe simply in their manner of speech and phraseology. For the God-inspired apostles, shining forth in a supernatural life and having their souls adorned with every virtue, were indeed unlearned in speech, and courage

not to be merely tolerated, but utterly detested and shunned in every possible way; and we must rely solely on those who were divinely inspired, believing them simply as they were written. For the divine apostles, conspicuous for the sanctity of their lives beyond the comprehension of nature, and adorned with every kind of virtue in their souls, though ^A otherwise lacking in refined speech or cultivated language, yet breathing the confidence granted to them from heaven by power and grace, neither knew how, nor indeed did they ever attempt, to present the doctrine of their Master using persuasive oratory. Rather, with the power of the Holy Spirit accomplishing the greatest of things, and using the working of miracles in place of logical proofs and demonstrations, without having any concern for the artificial methods of rhetoric or writing, they proclaimed the heavenly discipline. And they did this knowing that they were serving a ministry greater than what human understanding could grasp. But as for Clement, ^B Ignatius the God-bearer, Polycarp and Justin, and the rest of the apostolic successors, and what they wrote, this will be related in the history that follows. And the matters concerning the acts of the apostles, and how each of the Twelve passed to God, and which of their writings are genuine and canonical, are as we have stated. But for now, I bring to an end this second volume of my histories, which of necessity grew to such length; having begun from the nineteenth year of Tiberius Caesar and ending at the fourteenth year of Nero, when Peter and Paul, the leaders of the apostles, bound on the crown of martyrdom. This second history of mine contains a period of thirty-seven years; at which time, five thousand five hundred and seventy-five years from the creation of the world had passed, and the seventieth year from the divine birth of the Lord was completed.

NICEPHORUS CALLISTUS XANTHOPULUS ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY VOLUME III

^C

CHAPTER I

Rightly indeed, I think, and as was fitting, our second volume has reached a successful conclusion, which [brought to completion] the apostolic acts and writings, just as...

^A it had gained for itself the primary place among the rest. In this third volume, which is now in our hands, we shall set forth their primary succession: namely, how the preaching of the divine Word increased throughout the whole world, and who those men were who presided over all the greatest churches. It will also contain that slaughter which destroyed the entire Jewish nation everywhere and their metropolis, Jerusalem itself; and [it will relate] how many ecclesiastical writers and teachers appeared after this, and which of these, struggling bravely, put on the crown of martyrdom; and again, who were the leaders of that knowledge falsely so-called.

The divine apostles, therefore, having scattered throughout the whole earth, divided the inhabited world among themselves by lot, as I have said. Peter, indeed, preached the word first in Jerusalem, then in Galatia and Bithynia, as well as in upper Asia, Cappadocia, and all of Italy. John, however, after having taught in Asia for many years, finally met his end. To Andrew, moreover, for his portion ^B fell the regions around the Euxine, all of Scythia, Byzantium, Macedonia, and the continent of Greece. Thomas preached the Gospel to the Parthians, the Indians, and the island of Taprobane. To another fell Egypt and Libya; to yet another, the furthest regions of the Ocean and the British isles. Over almost all these provinces, like some heavenly bird, Paul flew, traveling in a circuit around the inhabited world; and starting from Jerusalem as far as Illyricum, with the greatest care and faithfulness, he scattered the seeds of true piety and laid the most firm foundations for the Church.

There were, indeed, so many imitators of these men that it is not easy to count them, who, having received enough in abundance concerning the Word and the Spirit, were judged worthy to act as pastors of the Lord’s flock and to succeed into the place of the apostles, being accurately and uprightly trained by the apostles themselves. Wherefore they, too, with great spirit, sowed the ^C life-bearing seeds of the kingdom of heaven. For, moved by a sharp and vehement love of true philosophy, they first, according to the salutary precept, distributed their own substance and wealth to the needy; and then, liberally, they delivered the doctrine of the divine oracles to other nations that were still disobedient to the word of faith. And where they had ordained pastors upon the recently laid foundations and the established churches, they themselves proceeded to other places. For the grace of ^D God was poured out most abundantly, drawing whole nations to the faith by miracles.

It would be a long task, however, to recount one by one all those who, at the time of the first apostolic succession, undertook the apostolic and evangelical office as pastors of the churches throughout the inhabited world. It shall suffice, however, to mention a few from the many, whom the records of the apostolic Church have also indicated. The divine Paul, indeed, is the first to make mention of many in his Epistles, whom he calls both collaborators and fellow-soldiers. But Luke also mentions not a few by name: such as that Timothy, who was the first to have been allotted the parish in Ephesus, as was even Titus of those in Crete...

as were also Barnabas, and Luke himself, Mark, and Crescens, who ruled the Gauls. Furthermore, ^A there is the most wise Dionysius from the Areopagites, who also presided over the metropolitan Church there; Linus, too, and the holy Clement, the God-bearing Ignatius, and the admirable Apollos. Likewise all those seventy, and others, whom it is not easy to recount in discourse.

CHAPTER II. Concerning those who after the apostles presided over the churches of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, and other men excelling in apostolic gifts.

most experienced, presiding sacerdotally over his own city. ^A Furthermore, Quadratus also shone in that age with the prophetic gift, flourishing together with the daughters of Philip. And there were many others besides these, illustrious and conspicuous for apostolic gifts, who attained the succession after the apostles. Regarding Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, and Papias, however, the present history will relate what is fitting in the following pages. For at present, we intend only to set forth those things which pertain to the first succession of the apostles.

CHAPTER III

^B Now, however, it is worthwhile to relate how the war of the Jews against the Romans was stirred up, what causes and prodigies preceded the destruction of Jerusalem, and how, in the end, that city, paying the penalty for the impiety and insane madness perpetrated against Christ, was destroyed. ^C And indeed, as for those things which happened to the Jews under the empire of Nero, and before that, when Felix was governing the province of Judea after Pilate—the disasters, when the high priests armed themselves with civil weapons against one another and against the leading men of the city, and each of them, looking toward revolution, constituted himself a leader, with no one at all restraining it; and when there was the utmost impudence of the priests and license of the rebellious sicarii; and then when the high priest Jonathan and many other illustrious men besides were secretly murdered; and finally, when the Egyptian false prophet destroyed thirty thousand men after deceiving a great multitude, and other things were committed in the disturbed state of the city, with no one performing the duty of commanding or obeying—these things we exposed in the previous book.

Josephus records that in the tenth year of the reign of Nero a most great war arose and a great calamity befell the entire nation of the Jews; and besides many other losses, he relates that about ten thousand of those who held honors and magistracies among the Jews were scourged at Jerusalem and finally nailed to the cross by Florus. ^D Furthermore, he relates that a grave tumult was stirred up against the Jews throughout all of Syria, when for the most part the people of the entire nation were slaughtered so cruelly by the inhabitants of the cities just as if by enemies, so that throughout the cities all places could be seen full of lying unburied corpses, of boys likewise and of old men, of women also, whose private parts were not even covered. And although that entire province was filled with countless disasters, yet those which had been...

^A perpetrated exceeded those which had been denounced by threats of destruction. Josephus writes that this preceded the war. But since the Jews were openly rebelling against the Romans, Nero flared up in anger against them; and he sent Vespasian and his son Titus from Achaia and Italy with a strong and arrogant army against Jerusalem, with orders to lay siege to the city. Vespasian, having gained glory from the many victories he had won over the Jews, prosecuted that war more and more; and the Jews had taken up arms not only against the Romans, but even against Christ Himself. And when they laid countless snares for the Romans, they were also delighted by the evils against the Christians. This was sufficiently indicated by Stephen himself, by James the son of Zebedee, and by the cousin of the Lord who bore the same name ^B as he, as well as by very many others. But if any were still left, they were expelled from the land of Judaea by their persecution. Nay, even the entire commonality of the Church in Jerusalem, admonished by certain secret and divine responses, which were given to certain approved men there through private revelation, left the city before the war itself and migrated to a certain town called Pella, as they had been commanded; so that, all the pious and divine men having left Jerusalem itself—as if it were a cathedra and primary metropolis—and the surrounding land of Judaea, because they had perpetrated as many evils as possible against Christ and His divine apostles, it might receive divine vengeance, and their whole nation be removed from the number of men. For the Jews were not attacked in open war for forty years after the ascension ^C of the Savior into the heavens, because God was offering them a time for repentance and was inviting them to return to their senses by the life, teaching, and marvelous works of the divine apostles. But since they did not care at all to be converted, as if a bar and obstacle had been removed, they drew upon themselves the destruction that was divinely impinging upon them, by the just judgment of God. For they were under foreign kings for a hundred years. For Herod the first held their kingdom for thirty-seven years; after him, Archelaus his son for nine years; and succeeding him was his brother Herod, he who put the Baptist to the sword, who reigned for twenty-four years. After him, Agrippa, who was also named Herod, who killed James with the sword, for seven years. His son succeeded him, who was also named Agrippa the younger, before whom Paul spoke freely in his own defense. And he administered the kingdom for twenty-three years, until Jerusalem perished in utter destruction.

CAPUT IV

That seven very great signs from God portended the destruction of Jerusalem before the Jewish war.

Furthermore, marvelous signs, by certain plain indications, kept predicting the calamity that was already about to arrive, as they [index: entries preserved]

^A are also recorded by Josephus himself in the sixth book of his Histories. "The miserable common people," he says, "were even then being seduced by impostors and liars who feigned to act in the name of God; they gave no heed, nor did they believe, the plain signs that warned of the coming desolation. But, as though thunderstruck and having neither eyes nor soul, they disregarded the warnings of God." And what were these signs? A comet, in the form of a sword, was seen shining over the city for an entire year. Also, on the ninth day of the month of Xanthicus, at the ninth hour of the night during the feast of Unleavened Bread, a brilliance of light shone round the altar and the temple itself, such that it appeared to be bright daylight; and this splendor lasted for half an hour. Thirdly, the eastern gate of the city, which was made of solid bronze and was so heavy that it could scarcely be closed by twenty men at eventide, and which was supported by iron bars and fastened with deep bolts into the sill, was seen to open of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night. ^B Before the setting of the sun, lofty chariots and armed battalions were seen in the clouds, sweeping and encircling the cities. Furthermore, on one of their feasts, which they call Scenopegia, the priests went out by night to perform their sacred ministry as was their custom; they reported that they perceived a commotion and a sound, and afterwards they heard a great voice saying, "Let us depart from here." And four years before the war, a certain man named Jesus, a peasant of very humble stock (whose surname was Ananus), while the city was in deep peace and tranquility, suddenly rushed into the temple and began to cry out: "A voice from the East, a voice from the West, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the temple, a voice against bridegrooms and brides, a voice against the whole people." He went about crying this out both by day and by night. ^C Some, therefore, provoked by his ill-omened speech, arrested him and lashed him. But he was not in the least moved, nor was he concerned for himself; he continued to shout his customary words. Even when brought before the Roman governor, and indeed beaten there as well, he uttered no other word, nor did he even shed tears; but, lamenting only in a most pitiable way, at every stroke he would cry out, "Woe, woe to Jerusalem!" A cow also, led into the middle of the temple for sacrifice during the feast of Unleavened Bread, gave birth to a lamb in the sight of all. The same Josephus further relates something even more miraculous: namely, that an oracle was found in the sacred writings, to the effect that at that very time, ^D one of their own countrymen would rule over the whole world. Josephus, indeed, applied this prophecy to Vespasian. But, O man, he ruled only over Rome, and not over the entire earth. It would be far more appropriate to refer this to the Savior and Lord, concerning whom the prophecy in the Psalms is uttered, as it were, from the Father.

"Ask of me," he says, "and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." The voice of his disciples is gone out into all the earth, and the power of their words unto the ends of the world. Now that these things have been foretold, let us proceed to the next parts of the history. ^A

CAPUT V.

How, after Nero, those around Galba and Otho, and then Vespasian, reigned over the Romans; and a particular account of the calamities which happened to Jerusalem under Vespasian.

Nero having reigned for fourteen years, and having shamefully abandoned the empire to those around Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, ended his life; and these also, having perished in the space of a year and six months, ceded the empire to Vespasian, who was then distinguished by his trophies against Jerusalem. And so, having been proclaimed by the military forces that were with him, he entrusted the war against the Jews to his son Titus; he himself, however, with all the speed he could, hurried toward Rome. But as for all the evils that rained down upon every part of Judea, and the calamities with which the Jewish nation was everywhere afflicted, and how they were destroyed by various forms of death—though most of all by famine and sword—in countless numbers of every age; and how many sieges were conducted in the regions, and finally how, having fled to Jerusalem itself as to an impregnable wall, they suffered things that are not even endurable to hear; and the whole array of the war, and each of the events that occurred in detail at that time, and how that which was long ago spoken by the prophets, the abomination of desolation, stood in the famous temple, which was utterly consumed by fire—all these things can be gathered from the words of Josephus. Yet this it is indeed appropriate to note: that this very historian records that about three million people had flocked together from all of Judea during the time ^B of the Passover, and were thus enclosed as if in a prison house. For it was fitting that in those very days they should suffer the destruction of their madness against the Savior, and experience divine justice, at the time when they [sought to destroy Christ]. ^{C D}

the Savior and the benefactor of all, and had preferred a murderous man ^B to his supreme benefits, and had impudently rejected his kingdom (being addicted to Caesar), and had vomited forth their rabid fury against the Savior—[it was fitting that they] should experience divine vengeance, and undergo the final destruction, and thus receive the grace and compensation worthy of their deeds. Indeed, I have deemed it necessary to pass over the slaughters they received either from the sword or from other instruments of war, and I shall pursue only those calamities which they suffered from poverty and hunger. For in this way, I shall show sufficiently to those who will read this history that the vengeance exacted for the insane and impudent insolence committed against the Savior not long after was indeed worthy. Furthermore, Josephus clearly explains this truly tragic calamity to us in the fifth book of his Histories, in these words:

CHAPTER VI.

An exposition from the fifth history of Josephus regarding the Jewish captivity, on how the famine afflicted the Jews.

^B For those among them who were wealthier, remaining in the city was their undoing. For not a few were slaughtered on the pretext of having deliberated about flight, on account of their wealth; and along with the famine, the cruelty of the seditious grew, and from day to day the calamities of both were increased. For there was no grain in public view. Wherefore, making assaults on houses, they searched them and inquired for corn. And if they found any, they beat the owners as if they had denied having it; or if they did not find any, they tormented them still more, as if they had hidden it with greater care and diligence. But the bodies of the wretches themselves served as an indication of whether or not they had grain; for those who still had more robust bodies were thought to abound in food, while those who had already wasted away were passed by. And the plunderers judged it against reason if they killed with the sword those who were to die of starvation at the very first opportunity. Many, in secret, exchanged their possessions for a single measure of wheat, if they happened to be wealthier, or of barley, if they were poorer. Then, hiding themselves in the most secluded rooms of their houses, some, because of the extreme famine, ate the grain as it was, unground. Others, indeed, as necessity and fear urged them, kneaded it into the form of bread; and no table was set anywhere, but taking the food from the fire itself, they snatched it while it was still half-baked and raw. Such were indeed miserable feasts ^D and a spectacle truly worthy of tears. For the more powerful abounded and held possession of everything above [the others]; but the weak and needy wept and lamented. For famine, as it surpasses all other miseries, so it also takes away all sense of shame. For [in this condition], even what is otherwise worthy of reverence is held in contempt; for wives would snatch food from the mouths of husbands, children from fathers, and, most piteous of all, mothers from their infants; and while their beloved ones were wasting away in their arms, there was no sparing them, to take away the vital drops of life. Eating such things, nevertheless, they did not escape notice. For the seditious were stationed everywhere, and [the people] were [subject] to their plunderings even for these things. For whenever they saw...

a house closed, this was a sign that food was being consumed within. Instantly they would break down the doors and rush in, and they would drag out the masters of the house, almost choking them by the throat as they did so. Old men were beaten for holding on to their food. Women were dragged by the hair, concealing [the food] in their hands. There was no pity for gray hair or for infants; but they would snatch the babes, clinging to the morsels of food, and dash them to the ground. Those who had anticipated their incursion and had already swallowed what was to be seized were treated even more cruelly, as though they had committed a wrong. ^A They devised terrible modes of torture to search for food: they would block the anal passages of the wretched victims with bitter vetches, or drive sharp stakes into their rectums. Men suffered horrific things, even things too awful to speak of, just to force a confession of a single loaf of bread or to make them reveal a handful of hidden grain. The tormentors were not themselves hungry; indeed, their behavior was less a matter of need than a deliberate exertion of their own madness, and a means of preparing their own provisions for the days ahead. As for those who would crawl out by night towards the Roman guard to collect wild herbs and greens, whenever they thought they had escaped the enemy, they would fall into the hands of the robbers, who would snatch away what they had gathered; and often, when they begged and called upon the most awful name of God, imploring them to share a portion of what they had risked their lives to bring back, they would share not a single thing. And they considered it a mercy not to be slaughtered as well, even after being plundered.

To these things he adds afterward, saying: «As for the Jews, after their exits were cut off, every hope of safety was gone. And the famine, waxing deep, fed upon the people through houses and families. The roofs were filled with the corpses of women and infants; the alleys were filled with the dead bodies of the elderly. Children and young men, swollen like ghosts or phantoms, would wander the marketplaces, falling down wherever the affliction happened to overcome them. The sick lacked the strength to bury their own kin, and those who were able hesitated, both on account of the multitude of the dead and the uncertainty of their own fate. For many died while burying others, and many went to their graves before the appointed time. Neither lamentation nor wailing was found in these calamities, but the famine choked out the passions. With dry eyes and gaping mouths, those who were about to die looked upon those who had already found their rest. A deep silence gripped the city, and a night heavy with death. And more miserable than these were the robbers; for they would break into houses to strip the dead, and would pull the coverings off the corpses and go out with laughter. They would test the sharpness of their swords on the bodies, and would even run them through some who were lying there but still breathing, just to test the iron. As for those who begged them to use their right hand and sword on them to end their famine, they would pass them by in their arrogance. And each of those who were breathing their last would look towards the Temple, leaving the seditious alive. The latter, at first, ordered the dead to be buried from the public treasury, unable to bear the stench; but afterward, as they could no longer keep up, they would throw them from the walls into the ravines. ^{B C D}

^A Titus, when he saw them filled with the dead, and the deep, putrid ichor flowing down from the bodies, groaned, and raising his hands, called God to witness that this was not his doing. ^B Having said something to this effect, he adds: "I would not shrink from saying what my feeling commands me. I think that if the Romans had delayed against these impious ones, either the earth would have swallowed up or the city been flooded, or it would have shared in the thunderbolts of Sodom. For it brought forth a generation far more godless than those who had suffered such things. By their recklessness, the entire people perished." And in the sixth book he will write as follows: "Of those perishing in the city from famine, the multitude was countless, and their sufferings happened in a way beyond telling. For in every house, if any shadow of food appeared, there was war; and the closest of kin grappled with one another, snatching away the miserable provisions of life. Even the dying were not free from distress, but the robbers would search even those who were breathing their last, lest anyone might be hiding food in his bosom and feigning death. They, maddened by need, like gaping dogs, wandered about and were carried off. Frequently knocking at the doors in the manner of drunks, and through helplessness, they would burst into the same houses two or three times in one hour. Need drove them to put everything under their teeth; and gathering things not even suitable for the filthiest of brute beasts, they endured to eat them; in the end, they did not even abstain from belts and sandals, and they would skin the leather from their shields and chew it. And the scraps of old hay were food for some. For some would gather certain fibers and sell the smallest weight for four Attic drachmas."

CAPUT VII. Concerning the Jewish woman who devoured her own child during the siege of Jerusalem.

^B "But why should I recount the shameless power of famine in inanimate things, and not rather recount such a deed as is reported neither among the Greeks nor among the barbarians, fearful to speak, and fearful to hear? And I, for my part, would not

^A have related such prodigies to other men, and I would gladly have omitted so calamitous a deed, had I not countless witnesses among my own people; and I would have rendered a cold and meager service to my country had I not unfolded in words the evil which it actually suffered. ^B There was a certain woman, who had dwelt beyond the Jordan, Mary by name, of the father Eleazar, from the village of Bathechzor (which signifies "house of hyssop"), notable both by birth and wealth. Having fled with the rest of the multitude to Jerusalem, she was besieged there. The tyrants had plundered her other property, which, having gathered together her vessels, she had carried with her into the city upon leaving her home. But if there remained any of her more precious possessions, or any grain she had stored up, all of this those bloodthirsty satellites, who made daily assaults upon her dwelling, had carried off. Wherefore a heavy indignation took hold of the poor woman; and though she often reviled the plunderers and cursed them, she only incited them more fiercely against herself. And since there was no one who, either out of anger or compassion, would kill her, and the labor of seeking any food for herself became difficult (for it was now found with great difficulty anywhere), and famine was spreading through her entrails and marrow, and her rage was kindled more fiercely than the famine itself—taking indignation as her counselor, along with necessity, she set out against nature itself. Having seized her child, and she was but an infant at the breast, "O miserable infant," she said, "in war, in famine, and in sedition, for what hope shall I keep you? For if we are to live under the Romans, slavery awaits you; but famine anticipates even slavery itself. And these seditious thieves are harder than even these calamities. ^C Therefore, come, be food for me, and to the seditious a Fury, and to the living a fable, the only thing lacking to the calamities of the Jews." Speaking these things at once, she kills her son. Then, having roasted him, she eats half, and having covered the rest, she kept it. Straightway the seditious were present; and having caught the scent of the forbidden meat, they threatened to slaughter her immediately if she did not show them what she had prepared. But she, saying that she had kept a good portion for them, revealed the remains of her child. They were immediately seized with horror and mental derangement, and stood speechless at the sight. ^D "This," said she, "is my own genuine child, and this deed is my own; eat, for I have already eaten; and do not be softer than a woman, nor more compassionate than a mother. But if you have piety and for that reason turn away from my sacrifice, let the remains of the food, of which I have already eaten, remain for me." Thus they departed trembling, fearful at this one deed; and with difficulty they yielded to the mother the food of this sort. The whole city was immediately filled

^A with horror; and every man, considering this crime as if it had been committed by himself, shuddered. Consequently, those who were oppressed by famine hurried the more eagerly toward death, and called those blessed who had died before they had heard and seen such evil. Then Josephus, collecting the number of the multitude that had perished either by famine or by the sword, says that a million people (2) had perished: but that the factious and the robbers, who remained after the slaughter, had been killed by their own hands after the city was overturned. Whosoever among the youth excelled in stature and in beauty of body were reserved for the triumph; the rest of the multitude who had exceeded the seventeenth year were sent in chains to the works in Egypt; many also were distributed into the provinces, so that they might be killed in the theaters ^B and spectacles by the sword or be thrown to the beasts; but those who were within the seventeenth year were captured and sold under the spear. And he says that the number of these, besides those whom we mentioned, reached ninety thousand (3). And these things were done in this manner in the second year of the reign of Vespasian.

CHAPTER VIII.

Of the words of Christ, by which He foretold the destruction of Jerusalem; and of the history of Josephus.

These were the rewards and the wages of the injuries and insults heaped upon the Savior. But if anyone should add to his historical narrative the oracles of our Savior Jesus Christ, the matter will appear to him marvelous. For he will find truly that His prediction was perfect, and that the things said were by divine foreknowledge ^C and power; as if He clearly foresaw the future as though it were present and foretold it; and sometimes, while weeping, He spoke these things, as the writing of the holy Gospels testifies, and, having turned toward Jerusalem itself, He said: "If you had known, even you, especially in this day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, that your enemies will cast a trench about you, and compass you round, and keep you in on every side, and shall lay you even with the ground, and your children within you" (Luc. xix, 42-44). And elsewhere again, concerning the people: "For there will," He says, "be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luc. xxi, 23, 24). And again: "When you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, ^D then know that the desolation thereof is nigh" (ibid. 20). And again: "Woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matth. xxiv, 20, 21). Although our Savior indeed foretold these things, and in the intervening time showed forth much goodness of love toward the human race, and a not insignificant time for repentance [next page begins]

^A granting that they might come to a better mind, and by repentance escape the punishment for the insolence with which they treated Him; and He gave them the apostolic manner of life and sublime doctrine, and also a demonstration of extraordinary wonders, and extended that goodness for forty years, and by the signs mentioned a little before, forewarned them of their utter destruction. But they, persisting in what was even worse, not only disregarded and bypassed the Saviour, but also were miserably disposed toward the first Law, leaving no form of iniquity uncommitted, so that they practiced it with head uncovered. For which reason, having also exhausted the long-suffering of God, they were sent down to the depths of wickedness and ruin. And it is easy for one who wishes to understand this to do so, by examining closely the words stated in each case by the historian, with how much grace and gentleness he wrote. But I, for my part, admire ^B the greatness of God, who disposes all things well, in that He so stirred up a man who was a Jew and of the unbelievers, and granted him such an eloquent and graceful tongue, that he might, as was fitting, transmit the Jewish history to memory most correctly: namely, that no one might be able to gainsay his testimony; and furthermore, what is indeed greatest, that there might exist even from among the enemies someone who would bear witness in harmony with the predictions of Christ. Who this Josephus was, what books he wrote, of what lineage and training he was, we have explained sufficiently in the previous book. And such was the outcome of the affairs of the Jews. But it seems to be time for us to return to the remaining matters of the proposed history.

CHAPTER IX

James, the brother of the Lord, as was said before, had been brought to perfection by the martyrdom suffered for His sake. But when Jerusalem was captured, as has been told, in the year of the world five thousand five hundred and seventy-nine, and the fortieth year after the Lord's ascension; the disciples and apostles of the Lord who were still lingering in life, having reached a common resolve, gathered together from everywhere, along with those who were of the kin of Christ ^D according to the flesh (for many were still surviving), and deliberated with care whom they should openly appoint to succeed to the throne of James. And so they all set their eyes upon Symeon, the son of Cleophas, of whom the holy Gospel also makes mention; and they entrust to him the throne of the hierarchy—whom Hegesippus records to have been the cousin, or kinsman, of Jesus. For Cleophas was the brother of the groom.

^A Verily, after the capture of Jerusalem, Vespasian, so that none might escape from the royal tribe, ordered that those whose lineage descended from David should be sought out with all diligence. From this, no small persecution was fanned against the Jews, and the calamity proceeded far; for Domitian, the son of Vespasian, who reigned over the Romans after Titus, took it upon himself to slay without cause many of the illustrious and high-born Roman citizens, and to fine them of all their goods, and in the end to condemn them to exile. And thus, after Nero, he was the second to make war on God, and he stirred up a grievous persecution against the faithful of Christ, whereas his father Vespasian had decreed nothing harsh against us. At that time, it is recorded that the Apostle John, still moving about upon the earth, was, on account of his piety and worship of Christ, restricted by him to the island of Patmos, where he thundered forth that holy voice of his Gospel and also wrote the Apocalypse itself. Concerning which Apocalypse, Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, in the fifth book of his *Against Heresies*, in the place where he discusses the calculation of the name of the Antichrist mentioned therein, writes as follows: "If it were fitting that his name be publicly proclaimed in the present time, it would surely have been spoken by him who also saw the apocalypse and the revelation. For it was not seen long ago, but almost in our own generation, toward the end of Domitian's reign." ^B And not only those of our own faith, but many even more so who are of a different mind toward us, have written of that most fierce persecution under Domitian and of those who were most prominent at that time, and have recorded their testimony and martyrdom, and have indicated the time itself with sufficient certainty. For after many others, in the fifteenth year of his reign, they recorded that Flavia Domitilla also, the daughter of the sister of Flavius Clemens, one of the Roman consuls, was condemned to live on the island of Pontia on account of her testimony for Christ.

CAPUT X.

From Hegesippus, that until that time those of the family and race of David were sought out and slain.

^C But when he decided to slay those also who had their origin from the race of David, tradition records that some of the heretics brought the descendants of Jude into court, on the grounds that they traced their lineage from David; for Jude was a brother of the Savior according to the flesh, and others—that Simeon had been from him who was mentioned above, son of Joseph, and brother of James, Jude, and Joses. ^D When he set about to slay those of the race of David, a report says that certain members of the heretical sects brought the descendants of Jude into trial on the charge that they traced their lineage from David as the source of their family; and Jude, brother of the Savior according to the flesh...

was indeed his son. Regarding this, Hegesippus writes thus: ^A “There still survived of the kin and family of the Lord the grandsons of Jude, who was called his brother according to the flesh; these were denounced as being of the family of David, and the emissary brought them to Domitian Caesar. For he feared the coming of Christ, just as Herod had; and he questioned them as to whether they were of David, and they acknowledged it. Then he asked them how much property they possessed, or how much money they controlled. And they replied that they had only nine thousand denarii in total, half of which belonged to each of them. And they claimed that they did not have this in silver, but in the valuation of thirty-nine acres of land; from this they not only paid taxes, but also supported themselves by their own labor. Then they displayed their own hands as evidence of their ^B toil, showing the roughness of their bodies and the callouses impressed upon their own hands from constant work. When asked about Christ and his kingdom, what kind it was, and where and when it would appear, they gave an account that it was not worldly or earthly, but heavenly and angelic, to happen at the consummation of the age, when he shall come in glory to judge the living and the dead, and render to each according to their practices. At this, Domitian found no fault in them, but even regarding them as base, he despised them; he set them free, and by an edict he forbade the persecution of the Churches. Once liberated, they took charge of the Churches, as ^C witnesses and also as kinsmen of the Lord, and once peace had returned, they survived until the times of Trajan.” These are the things of Hegesippus. Tertullian also makes mention of Domitian, writing thus: “Domitian, too, a piece of Nero’s cruelty, had attempted to do the same things; but, I suppose, having some measure of reason and prudence, he quickly desisted, and even recalled those whom he had sent into exile.”

CAPUT XI.

While Vespasian was still reigning, they say that a great plague occurred at Rome, such that for many days over ten thousand people died daily. At that time, tradition also holds that the Rhodians dedicated to Jupiter a brazen colossus in their city, standing one hundred and twenty-seven feet high. In Rome, Vespasian restored the Capitol, which had burned down; having administered the empire for ten years, he died, leaving the kingdom to his son Titus. It was then that Mount Vesuvius erupted and, as they say, spewed forth such fire that it completely devastated the surrounding region ^D and the neighboring cities. He strove most earnestly to make Rome blessed and happy in a short time; for he loved wisdom and the study of the liberal arts most highly. Josephus, as an excellent and distinguished man, he

^A held in the highest honor, and even had his books copied out by his own hand and deposited in the libraries of Rome. Having held the empire for three years, and while traveling by day during the summer, he bled profusely from the nostrils and, fainting from this, his brother Domitian, overcome by the lust for power, destroyed him with poison and, while he was still breathing, placed him into a prepared coffin. ^B This man, governing the empire wickedly and, to speak briefly, most dishonorably, and constituting himself the second persecutor after Nero of those men who were students of true piety, killed not a few, as we have mentioned a little above. For under his reign Timothy, and Onesimus, and Dionysius the Areopagite completed their course for Christ in the stadium of martyrdom. In his time lived also Apollonius of Tyana, whom historical accounts report to have come from Rome to Byzantium, and there, by certain demonic illusions and incantations, to have put to flight a great multitude of snakes and scorpions, and furthermore to have bridled the most ferocious horses, and to have performed many other portentous deeds. Because he was dear to Nerva, Domitian, having first shorn him, shortly thereafter cast him into prison. But when Domitian had held the empire for fifteen years, he was killed by conspirators in the temple of Jupiter, and left the empire to Nerva. Thus, the senate, having annulled his acts, recalled the exiles and restored their goods to them. ^C It is said that at that time also the apostle John, having been released from the exile in Patmos to which he had been relegated, returned to Ephesus and governed the churches there. Nerva, having reigned for one year and a little longer, died and had Trajan as his successor; under whom the disciple who reclined upon the breast of the Lord was still living in Asia. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, and the Alexandrian Clement, the compiler, both of whom greatly promulgated the word of faith, bear witness to this. The former, in the second book of his *Against Heresies*, writes these words: "And all the presbyters who conferred with John the disciple of the Lord in Asia bear witness that John delivered these things. For he remained with them until the times of Trajan; and he is a true and certain witness of the traditions accepted from the apostles." ^D Clement also, having indicated this time in the discourse *Who is the Rich Man that is Saved*, and having set forth the history which we narrated before regarding the robber saved by repentance, adds these things, writing as follows: "Hear a tale, not a tale, but a true story regarding the apostle John, which has been handed down to us and preserved in memory." For after the tyrant (by whom he strictly means Domitian) had ceased.

(For as the tyrant having breathed his last — he means Domitian, to be sure — he returned from the island of Patmos to Ephesus, » and what follows).

Caput XII. Regarding Menander, the second heresiarch after Simon Magus.

Under the same empire, after that Simon Magus, ^A Menander, his disciple, also a Samaritan like his predecessor, displayed an illustrious armament of diabolical operation and activity, truly surpassing his master in impostures and the jugglery of sorcery. For he claimed for himself the honor of our Savior, babbling that he had been sent down from heaven for the sake of the salvation of men; also teaching that no one could otherwise escape the struggle with the world-creating angels and emerge victorious, unless he had thoroughly mastered his discipline of magical prestidigitation, and had undergone the baptism which he himself had delivered. Whoever he deemed worthy of this baptism, he said, would be beyond the reach of old age and would lead an everlasting and immortal life. ^B Irenæus, whom we have mentioned, makes mention of him, as does Justin, the excellent martyr and witness among the philosophers, who, while making mention of Simon himself, speaks of this man also in this way: "A certain Menander, also a Samaritan from the village of Caparatæa, a disciple of Simon, and likewise stung by the demons, we know lived in Antioch and deceived many through the art of magic, and he persuaded his followers that they would never die. Even now there are some of his disciples who profess this same thing." Thus it was indeed the cleverness of the devil, through such sorcerers who had assumed the name of Christian ^C for the sake of a pretext, to strive to bring discredit upon the great mystery of godliness through magic, and to traduce and overturn the ecclesiastical dogmas concerning the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the dead.

Caput XIII. Regarding the heresy of the Ebionites.

And those men were thus deceiving mankind. Others, furthermore, since they could not altogether draw men away from the profession and faith in Christ the Son of God, introduced a more diminished opinion concerning Him. Our predecessors called these men Ebionites: they were truly worthy to obtain that appellation, for it directly and certainly signifies the poverty and mendicancy of their mind; ^D for that is what "poor" is called among the Hebrews. For they taught that Christ was a mere man, justified by a progressive accession of character; who had first existed as having been born of Mary, and had his beginning from the intercourse of Joseph; and further, that it was not easy for anyone to be saved by faith in Christ alone, unless he also observed the ceremonies of the Law, and followed that manner of living. This heresy and sect, having been split into two parts, the one side held to the things we have just mentioned; but the other side indeed admitted that Christ was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, yet they did not allow that He was the pre-existing Word and Wisdom of

^A the beginningless God. Hence, these also were overturned by the same impiety as the others. For they, like them, were very much occupied with the observance of the Law. Indeed, they rejected all the Epistles of the Apostle, calling Paul an apostate and a deserter, and persisted in clinging only to the Gospel according to the Hebrews; and they kept the Sabbath and their other observances equally with them, yet nonetheless they also venerated the Lord's days with us in memory of the resurrection of Christ.

Chapter XIV. On Cerinthus the Heresiarch.

In the same period of time, Gaius, an ecclesiastical writer, records that there was also a certain Cerinthus, the leader of another heresy, saying: «But Cerinthus also, by means of revelations which he falsely attributed to a great apostle, brings in to us marvels of words as if they had been taught to him by angels, saying that after the resurrection there will be an earthly kingdom of Christ; and again that human nature, subject to desires and pleasures, will live in Jerusalem. And being an enemy to the Scriptures of God, wishing to deceive men, he says that a millennium is to take place in marriage festivities.» Dionysius of Alexandria also mentions him in the second book of his *Promises* concerning the Apocalypse of John, saying: «Cerinthus, who founded the Cerinthian heresy named after himself, wished to arrogate to his own figment a name worthy and suitable. For this was the doctrine of his teaching: that the kingdom of God would be earthly; and of those things which he himself desired, being a lover of the body and altogether carnal, he dreamed that life would be spent as in a sleep, in ^B the satiety of the belly and parts below the belly—that is, in feasts, drinking bouts, and marriages—and through those things by which he thought it would be more plausibly and graciously provided, in feast days, sacrifices, and the slaughtering of victims.» These are the words of Dionysius. Irenæus, however, when in the first book *Against Heresies* he had set forth other deliriums full of giddiness of his, in the third book of the same work recounts a history worthy of memory concerning him, which he says he received through the tradition of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. For when the apostle John one day needed to use a bath, and had learned when he was about to enter that Cerinthus was inside, he fled from the place as fast as he could, having deemed it wrong to remain even under the same roof with him; and he persuaded those who were with him to do the same, saying: «Let us flee, lest the bath collapse upon us, since Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is bathing inside.»

Chapter 15. On the heresy of those who are called Nicolaitans, and how it originated from Nicolaus, one of the seven deacons.

^A In addition to these, there appeared for a short time a fourth heresy, which is called the heresy of the Nicolaitans, of which John also makes mention in the Apocalypse. Its leader was Nicolaus, one of those selected in the Acts of the Apostles, along with Stephen, for the care and ministry of the poor. This man, as Clement of Alexandria says in the third book of his *Stromata*, having a beautiful wife, was reproached by the Apostles for jealousy after the Savior's assumption. Having brought her into their midst, he invited anyone who wished to marry her. He accompanied this action with a saying appropriate to the deed, that one must "abuse the flesh." By this word, as I suppose, he meant nothing else than that one must not use the flesh for illicit pleasures nor indulge its lustful appetites. But those who embraced his heresy, following both his deed and his saying without any discernment, engage in fornication without shame. And yet the report is that Nicolaus had no intercourse with any woman other than his own wife; and as for the children he fathered, we know that the daughters remained in virginity and the son remained in incorrupt celibacy. Since these things are acknowledged, it appears certain that his bringing the wife, for whom he was seen to be jealous, into the midst of the Apostles was a rejection of carnal affection, and that by the "abuse of the flesh" he taught self-restraint and the strict curbing of pleasures, since he did not wish, according to the Savior’s commandment, to serve two masters, namely ^B pleasure and the Lord. They say that Matthias also taught this, handing it down in this way: that the flesh must be fought and "abused," yielding nothing to it for pleasure, but that the soul must be nurtured and increased through faith and true knowledge. We have spoken concisely regarding these men who, from the beginning, attempted to adulterate the true and sincere doctrine of the faith, but quickly dissolved; we shall also speak of the others in their proper place.

CHAPTER XVI. Ut Symeon Cleophae martyrium subierit: et unde haereses a principio in Ecclesiam Christi invaserint.

Nero was the first who started the persecution against Christ; Domitian was the second, and this Trajan was the third. Under him, as is handed down from antiquity, a great persecution was stirred up against us, both privately and publicly, as populations in the cities rose up against us everywhere. At which time also Symeon, son of Cleopas, the uncle of Jesus, and of Mary his wife, whom ^{C D}

they also say was the sister of the Theotokos, ^A both as a bride-betrothed and as a daughter, born not of Anna and Joachimus, but of Salome and Joseph, as it has been said—it is agreed that he completed his course of martyrdom. To him, after James, the throne of the Church of Jerusalem had been entrusted. This Symeon, then, was denounced by certain heretics as being a descendant of David (for up to that time inquiries were still being made as to those who were of the royal tribe of Judah) and as being a kinsman of Christ; and because he was one who freely confessed his noble profession of faith, severe jealousy and envy seized the rulers. When he had bravely endured for many days the harsh beatings that Atticus was inflicting upon him through tortures, he was subjected to a punishment like unto Christ’s. For, raised aloft upon a cross, he departed ^B to Him, having lived for one hundred and twenty years. Hegesippus indeed records that, at the time when the Jews of royal lineage and tribe were being sought out, the very accusers of Symeon were apprehended for being of that same stock. But if one insists upon true reasoning and observation, he would rightly say that this Symeon was one of those who saw the Lord with their own eyes and heard Him with their own ears. An open proof of this is his long life; and the fact that the writing of the divine Gospels makes mention of Mary the wife of Cleopas, from whom we have stated above that he was born. The same historian also makes mention of another of those who were said to be kinsmen of the Savior, whose name was Judas; he states that he lived until that same era, after having previously recounted the martyrdoms performed by certain persons ^C under Domitian on behalf of the faith in Christ. He writes in this manner: “There came, therefore, and presided over the whole Church, as martyrs and witnesses, the kinsmen of the Lord; and upon peace being restored to the churches, they remained until Trajan Caesar—until the aforementioned Symeon, son of Cleopas, the kinsman of the Lord, was denounced by heretics in the same way, and brought before Atticus the consular. Having been tortured for many days, he suffered martyrdom such that all, and even Atticus himself, marveled that a man one hundred and twenty years old could endure such torment. And he was then finally ordered to be put on a cross.” Having digressed a little, the historian, when he had spoken the things that have been mentioned, adds these words: “That up to those times the Church remained a pure and incorrupt ^D virgin, with those—if any existed—who sought to corrupt the sound rule of the saving proclamation, still lurking in dark and obscure places. But after the sacred choir of the apostles had ended their life by various kinds of death, and that generation had passed away which had been privileged to hear the divine wisdom with their own ears, then for the first time the coalition and conspiracy of the impious seducers began, through the deception of foreign teachers; who, with no apostle left remaining, turned at last to proclaiming openly with bare head their pseudo-named knowledge against the preaching of the truth.” Therefore, Hegesippus…

^A concludes his account. Let us now attach the remainder of Trajan’s reign to this history.

CHAPTER XVII

De persecutione sub Trajano, et quale edictum is contra Christianos promulgaverit.

The persecution at that time was great and flourishing, and to such a degree that even Pliny the Younger, a man of distinction among the provincial governors, seeing the crowd of martyrs, thought it necessary to refer the matter to the emperor and to signify to him the great multitude of those who were being slaughtered for the faith. At the same time, he reported that the Christians did nothing wicked against the laws, except indeed that they would wake at dawn and praise Christ as God; but as for abominable deeds, they stood as far removed as possible. ^B Moved by these words, Trajan issued this decree: The race of Christians is not to be hunted down, but if brought before the court, they are to be punished. From this, the persecution was, in a measure, held in check; yet our affairs were not entirely free from the designs of those ^C who had determined to afflict us. Here and there, either the common people themselves or the local governors would rise up against us; and although a general persecution was not openly proclaimed, it would act from time to time in the provinces, such that many martyrs were still revealed from this. Tertullian records this in the Roman Apology that he wrote, setting it forth thus: “And yet we have found that the search for us has been prohibited. For Pliny the Younger, while governing his province, having condemned some Christians and driven others from their rank, was troubled by the number of them; and being at a loss as to what he should do further, he consulted the Emperor Trajan, declaring that, apart from their refusal to offer sacrifice, he had found nothing wicked in them. He reported also this: that the Christians rise at daybreak and sing hymns to Christ as God, and that for the preservation of their discipline, they are forbidden to kill, to commit adultery, to covet, to defraud, and similar things. To this, Trajan replied that the race of Christians should not be sought out, but if brought to light, they were to be punished.”

CHAPTER XVIII

Martyrdom of Saint Clement of Rome, and concerning his books.

^D At that time, Clement was still flourishing in Rome, and Ignatius was governing the Church of Antioch; Papias was writing in Hierapolis; likewise Pancratius and the overseer of the Smyrneans, Polycarp; of whom the former were disciples of Peter, while Polycarp was a follower of him who reclined upon the breast of the Lord. Now this Clement was of Roman stock, and related by family to the imperial house, being the son of a certain Faustus and Matidia, and having been brought up in every sort of Hellenic education, and...

having attained the very summit of the knowledge of existing things, and having met the chief of the Apostles, as I have said, and having been initiated into the mystery concerning Christ, he preached the Gospel. ^A Since, however, he would not obey the commands of Trajan, he was relegated from Rome to a certain city near Cherson, a place utterly desert and parched. Having afterwards encountered many terrible things on account of his confession of Christ, he was finally cast into the depths of the sea with an iron anchor attached to his neck. And a certain wonder concerning his memory occurred thereafter. For when the sea was divided for three miles for seven days, those who visited it would approach and kiss the body of the martyr in a temple raised there by divine power. And it happened once, when the sea was divided as was customary, and the people had performed the usual rites and were returning, that a child was left behind there through the forgetfulness of its parents. ^B And when the sea returned to itself, the tender child was buried under the waves. But when the waves receded again, the parents returned and found the little boy safe and sound, sitting by the coffer of the holy martyr. Having learned this, they understood that he had been cherished by the grace indwelling there and preserved unharmed by the sea beasts. Wherefore, having paid the honor that was fitting and proper to the Apostle, they returned home with their child. Concerning this Clement we have spoken also before. Eusebius of Pamphilus mentions an epistle published in his name, a great and admirable one, ^C which he wrote in the name of the Roman Church to the Corinthians, when there was sedition among them at that time; he says that it was read publicly in the Church both in ancient times and in his own day, in which he uses many sentiments from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Hebrews. There is another epistle also carried under his name, far inferior to the former, which the same Eusebius writes that the ancients were ignorant of; he also rejects his smaller writings, which he says are a dialogue of Peter and Appion, which he says do not even preserve the true character of apostolic orthodoxy. ^D I, however, if he means what are currently called the Clementines among us, do not agree; for these are accepted by the Church. But if there are other writings besides these, I have no objection. We believe him to be the author of the Apostolic Constitutions and of the sacred canons themselves. Regarding the Epistle to the Hebrews, however, the opinion is uncertain, whether this man or Luke the Evangelist translated it, after it was first dictated by Paul, whose native and proper work it is.

Chapter XIX.

The affairs of the divine Clement were thus. He was acknowledged by all...

^A as the second successor to Peter in the Church of Antioch. When Trajan, who was then at Antioch, did not cease to rebuke the man's superstition, he sent him in bonds from there to Rome to be offered as food to lions, should he not abjure the faith confessed in Christ. Thus, being a prisoner, he traversed Asia under a strong guard of soldiers; and, visiting the congregations in every city, he strengthened them with exhortations and discourses. And because at that time heresies had just begun to creep forward somewhat more freely for the first time, he urged them to guard against these and to adhere strictly to the boundaries of the apostolic tradition; and, believing it to be the surer way, he judged it necessary to set these things down in writing.

Being in Smyrna, where Polycarp was bishop ^B, he sent one epistle to the Church of the Ephesians, in which he made mention of their pastor, Onesimus. He wrote another to the Magnetians on the Maeander, in which he makes mention of a certain bishop, Dama. He sent another to the congregation that was at Tralles, over which Polybius then held authority. A fourth, in addition to these, he wrote to the Roman Church, offering an entreaty that they should not place any obstacle in the way of his martyrdom, lest through faint-heartedness they cause him to fall from his expected hope. It is worth presenting in this account certain words from his own tongue, as an indication of that great man's courage and faith. He writes in this manner ^C: "From Syria even unto Rome I am fighting with beasts, by land and by sea, by night and by day, being bound to ten leopards, that is to say, a company of soldiers, who become all the worse for the kindnesses shown to them. But I am more learned by their injuries; yet I am not thereby justified. Oh, that I may have the benefit of the beasts that are prepared for me; and I pray that they may be found ready. I will even coax them to devour me quickly, and if they will not do so willingly, I will use force upon them. Grant me this favor, I pray you. I know what is expedient for me. Now at last I am beginning to be a disciple; may nothing of things seen or unseen make me jealous, so that I may attain unto Jesus Christ. Let fire and cross, the concourse of beasts, the scattering of bones, the rending of limbs, the grinding of the whole body, and the punishments of the devil come upon me, only let me attain unto Jesus Christ."

These things he sent from the city of the Smyrnaeans; but when he was in the Troad, he communicated by letter with the Church of the Philadelphians, and inscribed another to the Smyrnaeans ^D. He also wrote yet another to their own president, Polycarp, honoring him both as a divine man and as an apostolic pastor—for he himself was a good shepherd—and commending the flock to him, entreating him to take care of it and to instruct it in the better way. In the epistle to the Smyrnaeans, he uses certain remarkable words concerning Christ, the source of which I do not know: "I, for my part, even after the resurrection, saw him in the flesh," he says, "and I believe that he is. And when he came to those who were with Peter, he said to them: 'Take, handle me, and see that I am not a bodiless spirit!' And immediately they touched him and believed." Irenaeus

^A also knows of his martyrdom, and makes mention of his epistles, writing thus: "As one of ours said, having been condemned to the beasts for the sake of his testimony to God: 'I am the wheat of God, and I am ground by the teeth of the beasts, that I may be found pure bread.'" Polycarp also remembers him in his epistle to the Philippians, describing it somewhat in this way: "I beseech you all, therefore, to obey and to exercise all the patience which you saw with your own eyes, not only in the blessed Ignatius and Rufus and Zosimus, but also in others of our own, and in Paul himself and the rest of the apostles; being persuaded that all these did not run in vain, but in faith and righteousness, and that they are in the place due to them, with the Lord, with whom they also suffered. For they did not love the present age, but him who died for us and was raised by God for our sakes." Following this, he adds: "You and Ignatius wrote to me, that if anyone should go to Syria, he might carry messages from us; which I will perform, if I obtain a suitable time, either myself or him whom I send as an envoy for us, and concerning you. The letters of Ignatius which were sent to us by him, and others which we had with us, we have sent to you, as you enjoined; which are attached to this letter, from which you will be able to be greatly benefited; for they contain faith and patience and every edification fitting to our Lord." Now when he had arrived in Rome, having endured various torments beforehand, and having relaxed nothing of his constant and fitting mindset, he was at length exposed to two lions in the middle of the theater and finished his martyrdom. As for his flesh and softer bones, the beasts devoured them; but as for whatever stronger parts remained, a long time afterward his followers and disciples carried them from Rome to Antioch. Such are the things concerning the divine Ignatius. ^{B C}

CAPUT XX. Concerning Papias of Hierapolis, and the things recounted by him contrary to common opinion.

Papias of Hierapolis was also notable for his apostolic life, and he left many writings to the Church; yet only five are in circulation, which he entitled "An Exposition of the Lord’s Oracles." Irenaeus also makes mention of these, saying thus: "These things Papias, the hearer of John and companion of Polycarp, an ancient man, testifies in writing in the fourth book of his volumes; for he has compiled five books." ^D Now Papias himself, in the preface to his writings, says that he did not see the apostles with his own eyes, but that he learned the profession of faith from those who were known and familiar to them, hinting at this with these words: "For I will not hesitate," he says, "to set down for you, along with my interpretations, everything that I once learned well from the elders and remembered well."

confirming the truth of them by my interpretations. For I did not delight, as many do, in those who speak much, but in those who teach the truth; nor in those who relate strange commandments, but in those who relate the commandments given by the Lord to the faith and originating from the truth itself. And if ever anyone came who had followed the elders, I questioned him about the words of the elders—what Andrew or Peter said, or what Thomas, or Philip, or Simon, or James, or John, or Matthew, or any other of the disciples of the Lord; and what Aristion and the presbyter John, the disciples of the Lord, were saying. For I did not suppose that what came from books would benefit me as much as what came from a living and abiding voice." ^B It should be noted that he uses the name of John twice in this writing: first, when he compiles the list of the apostles, so that it may be understood that he means the beloved [disciple]; but in the second place, he adds Aristion and names him "the presbyter." Some, ignorant of the fact that this name was common with the apostle, have attributed the two later Epistles of John and the Apocalypse to the apostle himself. For this presbyter also lived at Ephesus, where it is said that even now two monuments exist, which are called by the same name of John. Since the same Papias relates in his books some other remarkable things, as having come to him by tradition from his predecessors, let us also say a few words about these. For he immediately mentions that Philip, who was at Hierapolis and had daughters who were prophetesses, as has been said before, was one of the twelve apostles, and not one of the seven deacons, whom Luke recounts in the Acts. He also says that he conversed with his daughters, from whom he says he learned that a dead man had risen in that age. Regarding Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and of whom mention is made in the Acts, he reports that, having drunk a deadly poison, he suffered no harm by the grace of the Lord. He also relates many other things as having been received from the unwritten tradition of the elders, ^C such as certain parables and teachings of the Savior, and other things seemingly more fabulous. He also says that there will be a thousand years after the resurrection of the dead, and that the kingdom of Christ will be established corporally on this earth, which I believe he accepted in a coarser sense, being ignorant of the fact that the things said in the promises were delivered in a mysterious and arcane way, as he was not a man of keen mind, which can be conjectured from his books; nevertheless, he drew many into the same emulation, admiring the antiquity of the man, just as Irenæus and if there was anyone else besides who was of the same opinion and sentiment with him, testifies. He says, furthermore, that he has other traditions from the aforementioned Aristion and the presbyter John; referring the studious to these, I have thought it necessary to set down here what he relates concerning the evangelists Mark and Matthew. For he writes as follows: "The presbyter John also used to say this: 'Mark, having become Peter's interpreter, wrote down accurately everything that he remembered. ^D

though not in the order in which the words or deeds of Christ were spoken or done. For he neither heard the Lord, nor did he follow Him; but afterwards, as I said, he was a disciple of Peter, who used to make his teaching serve the needs [of his hearers], but not as if he were composing a systematic arrangement of the Lord’s oracles. So Mark committed no error in writing down some things just as he remembered them; for he looked to one thing, to leave out nothing of what he heard, or to falsify anything in them.' Matthew, however, composed the oracles in the Hebrew dialect, and each interpreted them as he was able." ^A He also makes use of testimonies from the first Epistle of John and likewise from that of Peter. He further adds another story about a woman who was accused before the Lord of many sins. And the writings of Papias are of this kind.

CHAPTER XXI. On Quadratus and Aristides, men clearly apostolic, who wrote Apologies for the defense of our faith.

Now also the divine Quadratus flourished at that time, lacking in no respect the gifts of the apostolic succession. Likewise also Aristides, a man at that time burning with great zeal and fervor for our faith. Both were equal in doctrine, fervor, and in the conduct of a Christian life; both also addressed speeches to Aelius Hadrian, who succeeded Trajan in the empire, by which they defended the Christian dogma, when certain wicked men were attempting to harass and persecute our own. In these orations, it is possible to discern no small tokens of the brilliant mind and apostolic orthodoxy of these men. Quadratus, indeed, wisely demonstrates his ancient sincerity and faith from the words which he sets down in his own words: "The works of our Savior were ever present, for they were true: those who were healed, and those who were raised from the dead, who were seen not only when they were healed and raised, ^C but were also always present; and not only while the Savior was sojourning on earth, but even after He had departed, they lived for a long time, so that some of them even arrived at our own times."

CHAPTER XXII. Quae etiam sub Trajano Judaeis acciderint clades.

Our own affairs, therefore, were flourishing thus, and were growing daily, having struck deep roots in the teachings of the apostolic men—who were then many in life—and being richly watered by the blood of the holy martyrs; ^D but the nation of the Jews was being severely struck by frequent calamities accumulated one upon another. The eighteenth year of that emperor’s reign was passing, and the uprising of the Jews was again being stirred up.

^A For when a grave and seditious spirit had fallen upon them, and stirred up their anger and desire for vengeance even more fiercely, they raised an insurrection against their fellow citizens, the Greeks, in the city of Alexandria, in Egypt, and in neighboring Cyrene. ^B As this gradually increased, in the following year they engaged in a most terrible war against one another. Lupus was at that time holding the province of Egypt with authority. At first, the Jews were gaining the upper hand; but the Greeks, having taken flight in disorder, gathered themselves together and unexpectedly attacked the Jews in Alexandria, immediately taking some prisoner and putting others to the sword. The Jews from Cyrene, therefore, having lost their support, ran through the whole of Egypt—which Lupus was still administering—and inflicted damage upon it with impunity as much as they could. Trajan, moved by this matter, sent Marcius Turbo with a sufficiently powerful force to meet the Jews head-on. A naval, infantry, and cavalry force accompanied him; and in a very short time, having bravely conducted the war against them through many and various battles, he slaughtered very many myriads of Jews, not only of those from Cyrene but also of the Egyptians who had taken up arms to assist their king, Lucius (for that is what he was called). ^C Trajan, moreover, fearing that those who were in Mesopotamia might likewise wage war against their own countrymen, commanded Lucius Quietus to purge his province of the oppressed Jews as quickly as possible. And he, having secretly prepared regular troops, attacked them and cut down with the sword such a multitude of them that it could not easily be numbered. For this reason, the emperor appointed Lucius to rule over the province of Judaea, just as the secular historians of the annals have also recorded.

Chapter 23. On the character and works of Trajan, and his structures which he caused to be built at Antioch: and on the five female martyrs.

They say that Trajan was such a lover of justice and so detested wickedness that he once drew his sword, handed it to the city prefect in the presence of everyone, and said: "Take this iron; if I rule righteously, use it for me; but if otherwise, use it against me." He conquered the ^D Dacians and celebrated a triumph over them. In his time, the Persians had raided as far as Antioch and had taken the city, imposing both a tribute and a garrison upon it through peace treaties. Hearing this, the emperor immediately brought aid, and when he had arrived at their borders, he privately signaled to those who had been left behind to guard the city—

and who had been left by the king of the Persians—that he was ready to assist them and strip away the Persian threat. Falling upon them by night, he destroyed the Antiochenes. The ruler straightway attacked the Persians and slaughtered their leader. Having attained a manifest victory over them, he appointed a king for the Persians such as he himself wished. Having entered the city as a victor, he adorned it with many buildings; but he also destroyed many Christians, among whom were five virgins, whom he delivered to the fire for clearly proclaiming their faith. Having utterly consumed their bones and mixed their ashes with bronze, he had certain vessels and other utensils made, and dedicated them to the public bath which he himself had built most magnificently. However, whoever entered that place to bathe, as soon as they touched the hot water, were seized with darkness and dizziness, and rushed out and fell down. When Trajan understood the cause of this evil, he ordered that other vessels of pure bronze be prepared for the bath; the former ones, having been melted down in furnaces, he transformed into five statues, and placed them before the bath in the form and manner of the burned virgins. ^A

CHAPTER XXIV. On the reign of Aelius Hadrian and the final destruction of the Jews under him.

Trajan governed the empire for nineteen years and six months, and dying, he left it to Hadrian, his sister’s husband. ^B He immediately remitted public debts to the cities and forgave many taxes to the Romans, for which reason the city decreed him divine honors. Nicaea and Nicomedia, which had suffered much damage from an earthquake, he surrounded with a strong wall. He also formulated laws, having taken as his foundation the legislators of the Athenians, Draco and Solon. They say that the Jews also rebelled under him and wished to restore the temple in Jerusalem. For this reason, Hadrian killed fifty-eight myriads of them in one day, and whatever had still remained of the ancient buildings he utterly tore down and leveled to the ground, so that not even one stone remained upon another, and the oracle of the Savior was brought to its conclusion, confirming the certainty of his words; having greatly contracted the boundaries of the city, he rebuilt it under his own name, and having bestowed upon it his own appellation, he called it Aelia; and in the very sanctuary of the temple he set up his own statue. ^C If anyone were to call this not ineptly the "abomination of desolation standing in the holy place," according to the voice of the Savior, in my judgment he would not be mistaken. He gave the city to be inhabited by Greeks only, and allowed them to dwell there. This same Hadrian also built the temple in Cyzicus, a very great and most illustrious one; and he also [built] that city which today still obtains his name, Adrianopolis. ^D As for what Ariston of Pella says concerning the final [war] of the Jews...

^A [siege] of theirs, it is good to hear in his own words: "And truly, after the defection of the Jews had progressed to a great and vast extent, Rufus, the governor of Judea, having received military reinforcements from the emperor, utilized their own madness as an occasion to successfully conduct the matter; he advanced against them with hostile banners, and slaughtered many tens of thousands of men, women, and children at once, and by right of war reduced their regions into his own power. The leader of the Jews at that time was Barchochebas, which name signifies 'a star'; he was otherwise a murderous and brigandish man, yet by this title, as if over slaves, he had miraculously persuaded them, as if he were a luminary descended to them from heaven, and was working wonders to shine upon those who were afflicted and oppressed." After the war had reached its peak in the eighteenth year of the ^B reign of Hadrian, at the city of Bether—which was most strongly fortified and not very far from Jerusalem—when a protracted siege had been instituted, and the rebels and those eager for revolution had been driven by hunger and thirst to the final extremity of destruction, and he who had been the author of such madness among them had paid the fitting penalty, the entire nation was from that time forth forbidden by an edict and ordinance of Hadrian from even approaching the region surrounding Jerusalem, the emperor having ordered that they should not even be able to behold their ancestral soil from any higher vantage point. Thus, the city of Jerusalem, having come to the utter destruction of the Jewish nation, its former inhabitants, and having been resettled by a foreign race, was ^C subsequently established as a Roman city and, in honor of the ruler Aelius Hadrian, is called Aelia. And thus, indeed, did the Jews, even under him, pay the final penalty for their madness against Christ; but let us now proceed again to the succession of the divine men.

CHAPTER XXV.

Who, in those times, presided over the episcopal ministry in the greatest churches.

In the twelfth year of the reign of Trajan, when Evarestus had held the pontificate at Rome for eight years, Alexander—the fifth in direct succession from Paul and Peter—undertook the governance of the church. In the third year of the reign of Aelius Hadrian, having completed the tenth year in the episcopal office, Alexander ^D yielded it to Xystus. In the twelfth year of the reign of Hadrian, when Xystus had also presided over the church for ten years, Telesphorus, the seventh from the apostles, succeeded him. And when this one, in the eleventh year of his ministry, had departed this life through martyrdom, as Irenaeus says, Hyginus obtained the province of the episcopacy in the first year of the reign of Antoninus, who was called the Pious. Furthermore, after Hyginus had died following his fourth year, Pius succeeded him. And to him again [succeeded] Anicetus, in the twentieth year of the reign of the Pious. Anicetus, however, for eleven [alt-version omitted]

^A years in all having passed, is succeeded by Soter, whom, having led for eight years, Eleutherus succeeds, being known as the twelfth in succession from Peter. Antoninus Verus, with his son, was still ruling in the seventeenth year. And Primus, the fourth from the apostles, having inherited the throne of the parish in Alexandria, in the third year of the reign of Hadrian, having completed twelve years of his ministry, is succeeded by Justus. About the twelfth year of his rule, after a year and some months had intervened, Eumenes obtained the administration of the church of the Alexandrians, since indeed Justus had presided over it for eleven years. Eumenes, however, held the episcopate for thirteen years. To whom Marcus succeeding, exercised pastoral care for ten years. Celadion succeeded to Marcus, who, having functioned in the episcopate for fourteen years, had Agrippinus as his successor, the ninth bishop of his church from the apostles. Among the Antiochians, after Heron, Cornelius directed the sacred reins; ^B and in the fifth tier after him in the apostolic succession, Eros was recognized as bishop. The sixth after him was Theophilus, as successor. Him the seventh from the apostles, Maximinus, succeeds. We know that the times of the bishops in Jerusalem are not preserved in writing at all, for a tradition exists that they were of very short life. History has indeed transmitted by unwritten report fifteen of them in succession, who, being Hebrews, all discharged their duty, having genuinely embraced the doctrine of Christ; ^C and to such a degree that they were also deemed worthy to be included in so great a prominence by those at that time. For it is reported that the whole church of the faithful Hebrews existed from the apostles and lasted even until the final siege. Therefore, since there were no more high priests from the circumcision, owing to the seditions and madnesses of the Jews against one another, it would be appropriate, from the knowledge they received according to Christ, to record them from the beginning. First, therefore, was James, called the brother of the Lord; second was Symeon; third, Justus; fourth, Zachaeus; ^D fifth, Tobias; sixth, Benjamin; 7 John; 8 eighth, Matthias; 9 ninth, Philip; 10 tenth, Seneca; 11 eleventh, Justus; 12 Lebes, twelfth; 13 Ephrem, thirteenth; 14 fourteenth, Joseph; and 15 fifteenth, Judas. To whom, after the destruction of the city, Marcus succeeded from among the Gentiles. So many were the bishops from the circumcision in Jerusalem, from the apostles themselves down to the aforementioned Judas whom we named. And likewise [were] the governors of the other greatest parishes.

CHAPTER XXVI. Of Justin the philosopher and martyr, and of his Apology presented to Antoninus. Furthermore of Hegesippus and Meliton.

^A At this same time of Hadrian, Justin, also a martyr from among the philosophers, was regarded as one of the foremost, a genuine and sincere lover of true philosophy, and excellently trained in the disciplines of the Greeks. But who or what sort he was, and how he crossed over from the errors of the Greeks to the genuine philosophy, it is most fitting to recognize from his own words. For when he wrote orations in defense of the Christians against the Greeks and Gentiles—which they were unable to resist or refute—he presented in Rome, where he was living his life, an Apology on our behalf to the Emperor Antoninus Pius and the Roman Senate, inscribing it thus: "To the Emperor Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus, and to Verissimus his son, a philosopher, and to Lucius, the natural son of the philosopher Caesar, and the adopted son of Pius, a lover of learning, and to the sacred senate, and all the Roman people, on behalf of those who of every race of men are most unjustly hated and abused, I, Justin, son of Priscus, son of Bacchius, of the Phlavia Neapolis in Syria Palestine, one of their number, have presented this address and petition." ^B And in the same oration, he relates how not rashly, but through judgment, he came to the Christian profession: "For as for me, who delighted in the doctrines of Plato, when I heard the Christians being slandered, and saw them fearless and undaunted in the face of death and all that seems fearful to mortals, I considered with myself that it was altogether impossible that they should be living in wickedness and pleasure. For what man addicted to pleasure and licentious, or who delights in the eating of human flesh, could suppose death to be a good thing for him, so that he might be deprived of his desires and pleasures, and would not rather endeavor to live this life forever, and to deceive the magistrates and the laws, much less offer himself unto slaughter?" In that same Apology he also writes this: "It would not be absurd in these matters to make mention also of Antinous, who lived not so long ago, whom all, through fear, busied themselves to worship as a god, though all well knew both who he was and whence he came." ^C Hegesippus also makes mention of this Antinous; and he himself, flourishing in the same times, recounts in his Histories, of which he left five books, very many of the apostolic traditions, setting forth the apostolic preaching in a simple manner of speech. In these he reveals also the time in which he lived; in them he records the accounts concerning those who from the beginning set up idols, writing as follows: "To whom they made cenotaphs and temples as even until now; of which number is Antinous, for whom also an Antinoian contest is held—which also happened in our time, for he also built a city named after Antinous." ^D In the same year of the same way of life as those mentioned before...

^A Melito was bishop of the church in Sardis. He himself makes it clear that he was in his prime at that time, from the apology addressed to Verus in defense of our doctrine; it is a most brilliant work, and he proceeds very usefully, captivating the listener with elegant and persuasive language, conduct, and zeal for the Church.

Chapter XXVII.

How Adrian sent a letter in favor of the Christians, so that we might not be harassed without trial.

The most wise Justin records that Adrian received letters concerning Christians written to him by Granianus Serenus, stating that it was most unjust that they should be surrendered to the clamor of the populace and put to death without any just pretext or trial. On account of this, he sent a rescript to Minucius Fundanus, proconsul of Asia, ordering that no one should be killed henceforth unless a lawful and just accusation had preceded. Justin inserts this rescript into his own work word for word, prefacing it with these words: "We could request this from you based on the rescript of the greatest and most illustrious Caesar Adrian, your father, who, just as we requested in a formal petition, ordered that trials be conducted; and we do not request this so much because it was ordered by Adrian as because we know our petition to be just. ^B We have also attached a copy of Adrian's letter, so that in this matter too you may recognize that we rely on the truth." This letter, having been translated from the Latin into the Greek tongue, contains this meaning: "Adrian Caesar to Minucius Fundanus. I have received a letter written to me by Serenus Granianus, a most illustrious man, whom you succeeded in the province. It seems to me by all means that the matter should not be left unexamined, so that neither the men may be harassed nor room be given to slanderers for malice. If, therefore, the provincials can clearly substantiate this claim against the Christians so as to answer before the tribunal, let them turn to this course alone, and not use petitions and mere clamors. For it is right, above all, if any wish to come forward to accuse, that you hear the case legally. ^C Therefore, if anyone denounces them and proves that they have committed anything against the laws, you shall pass sentence against them according to the gravity of the offense; so that, by Heracles, if anyone brings this forward for the sake of slander, you may judge regarding his wickedness, and take care in such a way that you may exact retribution." Such was the rescript of Adrian issued on our behalf.

Chapter XXVIII.

Regarding Adrian's successor, Antoninus, how he also wrote to his prefects in Asia, forbidding the persecution of the Christians.

When he, after having administered the empire for twenty-one years, paid the debt to nature, Antoninus Pius succeeded him: to whom ^D and to the Roman senate Justin [addressed] the aforementioned Apology, [defending] the Christians.

Justinus defends, and writes an apology on our behalf. Moved by him, and by many other brethren who were most contumeliously harassed by the provincial inhabitants in Asia with insults and injuries, the Emperor issued a public letter to the common assembly of Asia, which it seemed best to insert here word for word: ^A “Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, Armenicus, Pontifex Maximus, in the fifteenth year of his tribunician power, consul for the third time, to the common assembly of Asia, greeting. I know indeed that the gods themselves take care that such men should not go unnoticed. For they would much rather punish those who refuse to render worship to them than you would, you whom you cast into turmoil, confirming the opinion they have formed about you, namely, that you accuse them of being atheists. It would be preferable for them, while they are seen to be accused and arraigned, to die for their own God rather than to remain in this life. And thus they emerge as victors, yielding up their own souls rather than be persuaded by you to do what you wish. Moreover, regarding the earthquakes which have occurred or are still occurring, it would not be out of place to admonish you, who have lost heart on account of them, that you should compare your affairs with theirs. For they are of a freer and greater spirit towards God, whereas you, during all this time throughout which you pretend to be ignorant of their causes, neglect both the gods and other matters, and you preclude Christians from the worship of the immortal God whom they revere, and you persecute ^B them even unto death. Regarding such persons, many of the provincial governors have also previously written to our divine father, to whom he replied that no trouble should be caused to such people, unless they were found to be attempting anything against the Roman empire. And many have also sent letters to me regarding such persons; to whom I have replied, following the opinion of my father, which I have deemed should be imitated by me. But if anyone persists in bringing accusations against any of the Christians just because he is such, the one accused—even if he is found to be such—shall be acquitted of the charge, but the accuser himself shall pay the penalty.” This letter was posted at Ephesus, in the public gathering of Asia. ^C Thus also Antoninus wrote in favor of the Christians.

Chapter XXIX. De sancto Eustathio, qui et Placidas dictus fuit. Item de sancto Eleutherio Illyrici episcopo.

Before such letters were issued, many are said to have borne an excellent struggle for Christ; one of whom was the glorious martyr Eustathius. Under Trajan, while holding the rank of commander of the army, he was called Placidas, and was illustrious in both lineage and wealth. But when he was distinguished by many virtues, he was finally also honored with a heavenly calling. For while he was hunting in a certain wilderness, Christ appeared sitting between the horns of a stag, and drew him to Himself by the counsel of a secret wisdom, and at the same time predicted what was to befall him. And so, having shared in the divine bath of baptism, he surrendered ^D himself with his whole house to Christ. But

^A by a secret test he was immediately laid bare and stripped of all things. For having cast aside all his wealth and honors, he was long deprived also of his wife and children. And thus, by enduring miseries, having become like a second Job, he was afterwards, in the same manner as he, by the providence of the Savior, restored along with his wife and his sons, Agapius and Theopistus, to his former happiness and glory. Having then carried off many victories over his enemies, by which he was a great terror to them, when he was in Rome before Hadrian—who questioned him on many matters because he refused to sacrifice to demons—he was cast with his wife and children into a bronze bull glowing with fire, and there exchanged life for death; although, when they had thus finished their martyrdom, the fire did not even consume a hair of theirs, nor cause them any other harm. ^B At that same age there was in Illyricum a young man of outstanding virtue, Eleutherius. He, too, was born in Rome, of a mother named Anthia, whom that great Paul is said to have led to the Christian profession. She also made her son an heir to her religion and handed him over to Anicetus, the bishop of Rome, by whom he was instructed in the Sacred Scriptures and enrolled in the number of the clergy. In the fifteenth year of his age, he attains the rank of deacon; three years later he is created a priest, and then, at twenty years of age, he is chosen bishop of Illyricum, having spent his previous life performing great signs and miracles. But when he had brought very many people to Christ, he was summoned by Hadrian and most steadfastly defended the faith of Christ. He was first laid upon an iron bed that was ignited, then he was thrown into a cauldron full of boiling oil and fat, and ^C soon after he was placed upon a hearth crowded with fire. But since he was superior to all these torments, he was pushed into a furnace heated to the utmost, which had first received the maker of it himself, Cerabor, because he had embraced the faith of Christ. Furthermore, Eleutherius was next taken from custody and bound to wild horses and dragged hither and thither; but by divine power his bonds were loosed, and he climbed a certain mountain and dwelt there for some time, living with wild beasts which he rendered tame. And when he had proclaimed the precepts of God and had led five hundred to the divine bath, he was dragged back into the presence of the emperor and thrown to the beasts. And when he was preserved safe from them as well, two of the soldiers made an attack upon him and killed him. ^D His mother, embracing her son as he was ending his life, likewise, just as he did, received the crown of martyrdom.

CHAPTER XXX. Certain things committed to memory concerning Polycarp, the apostolic successor.

While Anicetus was still governing the church at Rome, Polycarp, according to Irenæus, on account of a certain question that had arisen concerning the Passover, came to Rome, and there he conversed familiarly with Anicetus. But Irenæus relates other things also about Polycarp:

^A «Polycarp was not only instructed by the apostles, and lived with many who had seen the Lord, but he was also appointed by the apostles as bishop of the Church in Smyrna in Asia. We also saw him in our early youth: for he lived a long time, and departed this life by suffering a most glorious and illustrious martyrdom, having always taught those things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church hands down, which alone are true. All the Asian churches bear witness to these things, as do those who have succeeded to the place of Polycarp down to this day, as a much more trustworthy and certain witness of the truth than Valentinus and Marcion and the other authors of insane opinions; who, when he had arrived in Rome under Anicetus, turned many of those who were said to be heretics back to the Church of God, proclaiming that he had received from the apostles this one and only truth which the Church has handed down. There are still those who heard from him that John, the disciple of the Lord, once went to bathe at Ephesus, and when he saw Cerinthus inside, he fled from the bath-house without having bathed, saying: Let us flee, I pray, lest the bath-house fall in, as Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within. And Polycarp himself once, when Marcion came into his sight and said, Recognize us, replied: I recognize, he said, I recognize the firstborn of Satan. Such caution did the apostles and their disciples have, that they would not even communicate in words with any of those who adulterated and corrupted the truth, just as Paul also said: A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject; ^B knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. There is also a most sufficient epistle of Polycarp written to the Philippians, from which those who wish and who care for their own salvation can learn both the character of his faith and the preaching of the truth.» These things Irenæus says concerning him. And Polycarp uses many testimonies from the first epistle of Peter in his epistle already mentioned. ^C

CHAPTER XXXI.

Pius Antoninus, who also had the name Pius, having directed the empire for twenty-three years, died and left the Roman empire to his son Marcus Elius, also called Antoninus, and to his brother Lucius. This Pius furthermore took him as his partner in the empire. And then for the first time did the Roman republic obey two ruling with equal right, whereas before it had always had individual Augusti. Both of them, by the order of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius had adopted. ^D

^A He left behind him lavacra and other most significant public buildings in Alexandria, Antioch, and many other notable cities. He also constructed the Great Circus in Rome, and abrogated the old law of Gaius Julius Caesar, by which a man of senatorial rank was not permitted to bequeath his property unless he left half of it to the princeps of the time. By a new constitution, he gave everyone free power to dispose of their property as they wished. His son, Marcus, passed that just law by which children succeed their father when he dies intestate; he also decreed that a son who had been passed over in a will, if he had not shown due gratitude to his parents, should be given a quarter of the paternal inheritance. Marcus did not live in the empire for more than eight years; he left it to Antoninus Verus, his own son. He, too, having finished ten years in all, measured out his life in Proconnesus, where he was killed, being nearly forty years of age. Under these Caesars, many who were famous among the Greeks emerged: poets, as well as masters of rhetorical and medical discourse, and indeed of all philosophy. Among them were Hermogenes the rhetor, Aristides the noble orator, Galen, Oppian the poet, and the Alexandrian Apollonius with his son Herodian, authors of the grammatical art, as well as others whom it would be tedious to list at this time. It is worth knowing ^B that this Marcus Antoninus left for his son a book of imperial instruction composed by himself, full of profane examples and disciplines of every kind. But not only among the Greeks did distinguished men flourish, but also many great men in our own faith, of whom we shall speak in the following history.

CHAPTER XXXII. How the philosopher Justin, having defended the Christian religion brilliantly in writing and in speech, was adorned with martyrdom for the name of Christ.

At that time, Justin, whom we mentioned a little earlier, was still flourishing. When he had presented to the aforementioned sovereigns another defense of our doctrine, and had defended the Christian profession to the faces of its opponents, the Greeks and Jews, and had also repelled the vain, wordy loquacity and harmful mental insanity of the heretics with brilliant discourses, defending our faith with firm and adamantine arguments and abundantly demonstrating its truth and certainty, he adorned himself with the crown of martyrdom. A certain philosopher named Crescens—a man who emulated the Cynic life and customs—laid a trap for him. For since in many frequent conversations and disputations ^D Justin had convicted Crescens, who committed many errors, of fal-

^A having brought upon himself a defeat in those things in which he did not act well, and he went about mocking our profession, he was revealed in his true colors. Having formed a conspiracy against him with certain wicked men who happened to hold positions of authority, he subjected him to many torments, and finally put him to death with the sword, as one who truly loved the real wisdom, and thus he departed to the Christ he longed for. He had even foreseen what he was to suffer in the aforementioned Apology, and had predicted it, writing as follows: «I, too, expect to have plots laid against me and to be bound in the stocks by some one of the so-called [philosophers], ^B or even by that Crescens, who is no lover of wisdom, but a lover of boasting. For it is not proper to call such a man a philosopher, who publicly testifies about things he does not understand, namely, that the Christians are atheists and impious, doing this to curry favor with and delight those who have been led astray by him. For if he attacks us without having read the teachings of Christ, he is most wicked and far worse than the uneducated, who often hold their tongues about things they do not understand, so as not to bear false witness; or if he has read them and failed to understand the majesty that is in them, or understands them and does so in order not to be suspected of being such a person, he is much more ignoble ^C and wicked, being a slave to base and irrational opinions and fear.» Such were the words of Justin. That he was indeed taken off by this very Crescens, who was the author of the plot formed against him, according to his own prediction, is sufficiently testified by Tatian, a distinguished man who spent the first part of his life teaching the disciplines of the Greeks, and achieved great fame in them, and left for us not a few things worthy of memory in his writings. He writes thus in his discourse to the Greeks: «And the most admirable Justin rightly proclaimed that the men we have mentioned were like to brigands.» Then, having said some other things about the philosophers, he adds: «Crescens, having then nested ^D in the great city, surpassed all in pederasty, and was very intent on love of money. And he who advised others to despise death, himself feared death so much that he brought about the death of Justin—as if it were some great evil—because he, by preaching the truth, proved the philosophers to be gluttons and impostors.» And such was the cause of Justin’s martyrdom.

Chapter 33. On other martyrs, whom Justin himself mentions in a certain singular booklet.

The same author also makes mention of other martyrs before him in his own Apology, and, ^D usefully adding them to his subject, he says: A certain woman who was reckless from her experience of evil things had been joined to a man who was likewise given to debauchery. But when she learned of the mystery of Christ, she embraced a temperate life, and persuaded her husband to live likewise, showing him the fire that was to come for those who give themselves over to debauchery and are inflamed by pleasures; and she would sometimes...

propose the promises of eternal goods. But since she achieved nothing by saying these things many times, and he remained in his wanton insolence, he alienated the woman by his wicked habits. For she, judging it impious to continue with such a man—who, contrary to the laws of nature, sought in every way to pursue pleasure through various lusts—resolved to withdraw from him. ^A And since her relatives, using their authority, dissuaded her from this design and gave her hope that her husband might one day be changed for the better, she was compelled to remain with him. But after the husband had set out for Alexandria and was said to have become far worse, the woman, fearing that if she continued in the same bed and at the same table with him she might become a participant in his impieties, sent him a document of divorce, which is called a *repudium*, and separated from him. ^B He, however, whereas on account of his wife he ought to have rejoiced that she had renounced her former life, and at the same time had bidden farewell to drunkenness, lasciviousness, and—to sum it up in one word—all wickedness, so that she might no longer associate with servants and other lewd persons for the sake of base gain, nor wallow in the mire of lusts, and had urged him also to follow better things; he, I say, was so far from doing this that, immediately upon her departure, he presented a petition to the emperor stating that she was a Christian. But she, having been summoned, presented a petition, requesting that she be granted a year to first set her household affairs in order, and after that to make her defense regarding the matters of which she was accused. ^C When this request was granted to her, her husband dropped the accusation and left her alone, but turned instead to a certain Ptolemy, who had taught her the dogmas of piety. He attacked him with guile, causing him to be cast into chains. For he persuaded a certain centurion, who was his friend, to seize Ptolemy and ascertain only this: whether he was a Christian. And Ptolemy, who was a lover of truth and in no way fraudulent or a liar, readily confessed himself to be a Christian. ^D Being thus thrown into chains and held for a long time, he was tortured by the centurion. Finally, when he was brought before Urbicius the judge and questioned by him, because he was well aware of his own conscience, having followed the doctrine of Christ, he confessed the doctrine of divine virtue. For why should he deny it? Unless he were to do so because he condemned the profession, or because he knew himself unworthy and a stranger to so great a matter, he would not fail to profess it. But neither befits a true Christian. Urbicius, therefore, commanded Ptolemy to be led away because of that confession. ^A Then a certain Lucius, being himself also a Christian, who was standing there and had condemned this irrational judgment of Urbicius, said: "By what reason, pray, do you convict this man of doing any of the forbidden things, just because you are incited to punish him for boasting the name of Christian? These things befit not a pious emperor, nor a philosopher, nor Caesar's son, nor the holy senate, Urbicius." And he, saying nothing else to Lucius, replied: "It seems to me that you also are such a one." And when he confirmed most emphatically that he was, he ordered him also to be led away. Lucius gladly agreed, testifying that he was being delivered from wicked masters and was departing to the good God, the Father and King. And a third person, coming upon them, was also added

upon whom the punishment was likewise inflicted. Having commemorated these things, Justin adds the words we exposed above: "I myself await also the snares and the beating," etc. ^B He too, being well instructed in divine doctrine, produced many writings, filled with heavenly wisdom and supreme knowledge; concerning which we shall speak opportunely in the volume that follows this.

CHAPTER XXXIV

Of others who suffered martyrdom in Asia.

It is certain that many other martyrs flourished in Asia before Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, moved by the petitions of Justin and other Christians, sent the letter which we brought forward a little earlier to the peoples of Asia, and checked the persecution. At which time, in the midst of the greatest disturbances in Asia and of huge commotion, Polycarp, the follower of the apostles, finished his course in martyrdom; ^C he who, after the wonder-working Bucolus, presided over the church of the Smyrneans. And his martyrdom is still carried in writing today, which—written in the person of the church which he himself presided over in Asia—setting forth the things that happened at this end for the parishes in Pontus, makes them clear. It speaks as follows: "The Church of God which dwells in Smyrna, to the Church of God which dwells in Philomelium, and to all the parishes of the holy Catholic Church in every place, mercy, peace, and love from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied. We have written to you, brethren, concerning the martyrs ^D and blessed Polycarp, who, as if with a certain stamped seal, through his own martyrdom, brought the persecution to a halt." And they begin writing straightway before Polycarp of the other martyrs, admiring their struggles, how they struck the spectators with astonishment by their contests. For some of them were so torn by the scourges up to the innermost veins and arteries, that the hidden parts of their bodies and the very entrails could be seen. Others, laid upon shells from the sea and other sharp spikes strewn about on the ground, were dragged hither and thither; and then, after most grievous punishments and tortures of every kind and racks, they were finally thrown to be devoured by beasts. They say that Germanicus excelled in the martyrdom, who, aided by divine grace, overcame the fear of death innate to the body. For when the proconsul wished to withdraw him from the number of the other martyrs, suggesting that he should spare his flourishing age and excellent form, the young man did not hesitate, but with great desire of soul drew the beast upon himself, all but compelling and provoking it, so that he might the more quickly be liberated from the wicked customs of impious men. Assuredly he accomplished his martyrdom through death for Christ so bravely and beautifully that the multitude was struck with wonder and, at his virtue

^A of the whole Christian people, were struck with amazement. Polycarp was being sought out.

CHAPTER XXXV.

De martyrio Polycarpi episcopi Smyrnæi.

Ὡς ἐμαρτύρησε Πολύκαρπος ὁ τῆς Σμυρναίων ἐπίσκοπος γεγονώς.

When he had learned of this, retaining the constancy and strength of his soul, he decided to remain in his city and await those who were to lead him away. But overcome by the entreaties of the presbyters of the Church, whom he pleaded with much, he withdrew to a certain field not far from the city. Living there with a few people, he spent his time in constant fasting ^B and prayer, asking for peace for the churches throughout the whole world—a thing he was accustomed to do always, day and night. Three days before he was apprehended, he saw a dream, or rather a vision, by night: while he was praying, the bolster which he used to put under his head suddenly caught fire and was totally consumed. Upon seeing this, he was startled and rose from his bed, and explained the matter to those who were with him, saying that he must certainly depart from this life through fire and go to Christ.

Because he was being sought with great zeal ^C and those who were with him were overcome by their inner affection and love for him, they led him away to another field. Immediately, however, those who were pursuing him arrived at his place of stay. It was already evening, and he occupied the upper room of the house, from which it would have been easy to pass into another house and escape the ambush of his persecutors. But he refused to do so, using the words: "The will of the Lord be done."

And so he went down with a joyful and indeed radiant countenance, and with sweet speech and in a completely gentle ^D and stable manner, he liberally invited them to supper. They, for their part, just as if they were friends, refreshed themselves after the weariness of the journey with plentiful food, and then with sleep and rest. But he himself, without any fear, was intent on prayer, being full of the grace of Christ, so much so that many of those who heard him were standing in amazement and were struck with repentance, if they should be the authors of the death of such a venerable and pious old man. Regarding this, the writing concerning him says as follows: "After he finally finished his prayer, in which he made mention of all who had ever lived with him—humble and great, famous and obscure—and of the entire Catholic Church dispersed throughout the whole world; when the hour for departing arrived, they set him upon an ass and led him into the city, it being the great Sabbath. [/cont] There met them immediately the irenarch [(1)] Herod, and his father Nicetes, who took him into their vehicle and, sitting by his side, kept persuading him, saying: 'For what harm is there, Lord Caesar, to sacrifice and be saved?' But at first he made no answer; when they persisted, however, he said: 'I do not intend to do...'

what you suggest.' Then they, because he would not be persuaded to what they wished, rebuked the man with harsh words, and pushed him out of the vehicle with violence, by which fall he was severely injured in his shin. Yet, being in no way moved or changed by all these things, he proceeded to the stadium, and it is said that as he went forward a voice thundered from heaven: 'Be strong and act manfully, Polycarp.' And although the one who uttered this voice was invisible, yet many of our people who were standing there heard it. ^A When he had arrived there, he was first asked by the proconsul if he were indeed Polycarp: and when he had confessed it, he urged him to have regard for his age, to swear by the fortune of Caesar, to efface by repentance what he had done in the past, and to shout with a loud voice: 'Away with the atheists and the despisers of the gods.' But when he remained entirely unmoved, he went on to force him to swear by the fortune of Caesar and to rail at Christ; and said that if he did this, he would immediately be set free. Then Polycarp said to these things: 'Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong; how then can I bring myself to blasphemy against my King who saved me? But if you pretend not to know who I am, know that I am a Christian; and if you desire to learn our profession, grant a place and an opportune time, and come to know it.' ^B The proconsul then said: 'Persuade this to the people.' And Polycarp replied: 'I deem you, indeed, worthy of some reverence, for we have a commandment to show due honor to the magistracy and to the powers, provided it does not oppose the service of divine piety. But with the populace, which is led by no reason, what communion have I?' Then the proconsul, unless he would come to his senses, threatened him with the raging onslaught of wild beasts. To whom he said: 'Summon them, for repentance from the better to the worse is not, as I am well persuaded, to be admitted; but the change from harmful to just and holy works is.' ^C Thereupon the judge again threatened him with fire. And he said: 'You threaten me with the fire that burns for an hour and is then quenched, being evidently ignorant of the eternal fire prepared for the wicked in the judgment of recompense.' With these and many other such words spoken on this side and that, the holy man was immediately filled with confidence, so much so that the judge himself was astonished and marveled at his cheerful countenance and unafraid spirit. And he ordered the herald to proclaim three times to the people that Polycarp had confessed with great freedom that he was a Christian. Then the whole multitude of Greeks and especially of the Jews, who were inhabitants of Smyrna and were accustomed to assist in such tumultuous crowds,

^A raising confused and unclear shouts, demanded: "The father of the Christians, who destroys our gods and teaches so many not to sacrifice nor to pay them the honor of worship, let him be cast into the pyre." And they urged Philip, the governor of Asia. For it was fitting that a man of prophetic spirit should not be wanting in his vision. And when he, nodding in agreement, had permitted it, the matter was carried to its conclusion more quickly than it could be told. For immediately, the idle and useless rabble from the people, rejoicing in tumultuous actions, and besides them the race of the Jews of Smyrna, assisting those who were inimical to the Christians most readily with even the most extreme measures, snatching wood, brushwood, and every other material suitable and appropriate for a burning from the nearby workshops and baths, brought them together and ignited them.

After the flame had already grown great, Polycarp, having laid aside his garments, attempted also to take off his footwear; which indeed he had never done before, having been always hindered and prevented by his own people. For he had been honored with an excellent way of life and discipline even before his old age. But lest those of the faithful who remained might then touch his body, having veiled and covered that part of his body which was proper by his own hand, he stepped into the fire, like a notable ram, as a sacrifice and a holocaust of a great flock offered to God, having first prayed almost word for word: "O God and Lord Almighty, Father of Thy beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the knowledge of Thee: God of the angels and of the powers and of all creation, and of the whole race of the just who live in Thy sight: I bless Thee because Thou hast deemed me worthy of this day and hour, that I might receive a portion in the number of the martyrs, in the cup of Christ, unto the resurrection of life eternal, of both soul and body, in the incorruption of the Holy Spirit. In which ^B martyrs may I be received in Thy sight this day, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, just as Thou didst prepare it, manifesting it beforehand and fulfilling it, O true and unerring God. For this reason I also praise and bless and glorify Thee concerning all things, through the eternal High Priest Jesus Christ Thy beloved Son, through whom to Thee with Him in the Holy Spirit be glory, honor and praise unto the ages. Amen."

Following these things, that epistle which we have mentioned adds: "As for the men who kindled the fire, when a great flame shone forth, we saw a miracle, to whom it was given to see, who were also preserved to announce to the others the things that had occurred; for the fire, having formed the shape of an arch, like the sail of a ship filled by the wind, surrounded the body of the martyr in a circle. And indeed, we perceived such a fragrance, as of burning incense or some other ^C precious aromatic, wafted toward us. Finally, seeing that the fire had no power over the flesh, they commanded a certain man to stab the holy man with a sword. That having been done, a multitude of blood gushed out, so as to have enough to quench the intensity of the fire, so that it even filled the multitude with amazement, if such a difference there be between the profane and the holy men, of whom one also became this marvelous man, an apostolic and prophetic man. But he who is always lying in wait for the good, having seen the magnitude of his martyrdom, and his lifestyle from his youth unblamable, having carried off the crown of victory and the prize, made the greatest haste to keep us from his holy remains. And so, some approaching, they suggested to Nicetes, the father of Herod and brother of Alce, to persuade the governor not to allow the martyr's body to be [left] thus: 'Lest,' he says, 'they abandon the crucified one and begin ^D to worship this one.' And so, by the inducements of the Jews, he abandoned the body to the fire. But those who were around him, taking up the remains of the bones, which were more precious than any gold, treasured them up for themselves wherever it was proper; and from that time they celebrated with joy the things of his memorial, thus having been worthy of such an end for the renowned Polycarp, with the twelve from Philadelphia who had finished their holy struggle."

CHAPTER XXXVI.

That in this same period there were other various martyrdoms in the city of Smyrna, the aforementioned letter clearly indicates; among whom a certain Metrodorus, who followed the error of Marcion, yet was judged to be a presbyter, was burned alive. Moreover, that famous martyr Pionius — of whose individually-held confessions, public freedom of speech in the midst of the people, defense of the faith, and, besides that, the hospitable and kind reception of those who fled to him during the time of the persecutions, and when he was in prison, his full consolations to the fearful, his tortures also, the piercing of nails, his patience in the midst of the torments of fire, and every kind of punishment and flesh-tearing, and finally his death worthy of eternal remembrance, those who desire to know, we refer to the aforementioned testimony. For we have no leisure to measure the sea of the martyrs’ struggles with a single cup. In that same year, at Pergamum, Carpus the bishop, and Papylus the deacon, and a woman, Agathonice, are recorded to have finished their martyrdom with a beautiful death after many others.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

Furthermore, while Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was administering the empire, what happened then must not be passed over in silence. A certain Jew was traveling with us in desert and waterless places, to speak with the Psalmist. When, however, he was suddenly afflicted with illness so that he was believed to be about to die, and to be left alone in those waterless places, he insisted with great vehemence, beseeching his traveling companions, that they should not leave him thus destitute of all protection, ^D but that they should make him a participant in the divine bath, and then depart. But as they had neither one who could perform this (for a priest was needed), nor was there a supply of water present—which, in the fulfilling of baptism, both by ancient custom and by a certain and inviolable law...

the Jews pleaded were impossible, and thus ^A they spurned the request. But as the Hebrew persisted and compelled them with oaths, they stripped off his garments, and then, using the sand that was in that place instead of water, they baptized him in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, casting the sand upon him three times. By this so unusual and wonderful initiation into the sacred mysteries, he was released from all his infirmity as if from some chain, and, far better than they, he now traveled his path entirely sound. But after they had returned home, they reported the matter to Dionysius, the bishop of Alexandria. ^B He, struck with wonder, consulted the Church about it. It seemed best to him that the one initiated in that way should be additionally washed with water, according to the tradition of the Church, so that, by this means, whatever was lacking in his sacred rite might be made whole. They report that something similar had also happened under Athanasius the Great. But we know that the same also occurred in our own age. A Hebrew boy was on familiar terms with some Christian children, and when the desire for swimming had beset them while they were frequenting the seashore, the Jewish boy accompanied them. The boys, in play, baptized him ^C as he stood naked by the sea—at first not against his will; but after they had invoked the threefold title of the divine Being and at the same time performed the threefold immersion, they tore a piece of linen cloth and, fashioning a symbolic garment for what follows, they very well fashioned a secret and mystical helmet upon his head. Then, arming his right hand with a thin piece of wood instead of a taper, they completed all the mysteries which belong to that sacred rite. Lastly, they walked around the neighboring church chanting. When they entered the church, they received the holy mystery. The same, moreover, was done by him who had thus been initiated in baptism. ^D This matter, having been made known through diligent inquiry, was reported by the one who presided over the sacred rites there to the Church of Constantinople. The boy was also summoned there, though the Jews, indeed, were doing much to prevent it from happening. And there, too, it was decreed that what was lacking in him should be completed according to the execution of the mystery; and this was done. Which boy, when he reached the proper age, was chosen for the order of the priesthood; and having been made the sacristan, or warden, of the greatest temple, he is still living there today. At this point, I also place an end to this third book of histories, which contains one hundred and two years: for it took its beginning from the reign of Galba and Otho [and Vitellius], and has its conclusion at the end of the reign of Marcus Verus, son of the first Antoninus: when, from the foundation of the world, five thousand six hundred and seventy-seven years had passed, and from the divine incarnation and nativity of the Lord, one hundred and seventy-two years had elapsed.

NICEPHORUS CALLISTUS XANTHOPULUS ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY VOLUME IV

CHAPTER I. Preface to the book: concerning what was said before, and what will be discussed subsequently in this fourth book.

^A The first succession of the apostles continued in divine Polycarp up to the times of Antoninus the younger, who was also named Philosopher, and who was the son of Verus and his colleague in the empire. The most divine apostles used a simple discourse in their teaching, and by the paradoxical nature of their miraculous deeds, they brought the world under their sway, as was fitting, accomplishing all things by heavenly power and virtue and the demonstrations of the Spirit. Those, however, who succeeded them, being somewhat inferior to them, did not attain to their virtue; nevertheless, they drew near to them in the splendor of their lives, though they did not pursue a discourse as simple as that of their masters.

^B The first book of this History, as was fitting, set forth all things concerning Christ. The second recounted, as far as was possible, the deeds of His disciples and apostles. The third briefly summarized everything concerning their first succession. In this fourth, which we now have in hand, we shall record the wicked and impostors who, after them, abused our doctrine and brought great harm to the Christian flock. To these, as though to instruments of ruin and ministers of perdition for souls, that enemy of what is good, when he armed himself against the Church, used another stratagem for attacking it; and we shall record the men whom the providence of God opposed to them, those who, waging the struggle stoutly against their impious heresies and fighting with the words of truth, easily suppressed their designs: the names of these teachers, their writings, and the heresy against which each of them ^C

^A contended, and also what other things worthy of note and writing they have left to the Church. In addition to these, I shall relate the renowned contests of the God-loving martyrs, and how the question formerly debated regarding the feast of Pascha received its resolution, and concerning certain others who were distinguished by apostolic gifts. And thus, God willing, I shall apply the final hand to this fourth book. And it must be begun in this manner.

CAPUT II. Concerning the heresiarchs who at that time introduced themselves into the Church of Christ, Saturninus and Basilides.

The word of salvation was already traversing the whole earth, and occupying the inhabited world as much as it was possible for it to do so. And the doctrine of the faith had a firm foundation, having taken deep root in the hearts of God-loving men, being supported by the apostolic teaching and life, and the miracles that flowed therefrom; but then also by the speeches and books of the successors of the apostles, which, on account of their impregnable truth, could not be refuted: and furthermore, by the contests and struggles ^B of the noble martyrs. For persecutions rendered the Church even more joyful and flourishing. But the common adversary and enemy of our piety and religion could not remain quiet. For when he saw the Churches throughout every region shining clearly and brilliantly like luminaries, and flourishing and thriving in a lively manner throughout the whole earth, and the faith in our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ [thriving], as a common enemy and most hostile to the salvation of men, he agitated for a long time the schemes against the Church, attempting first to root it out completely by means of external persecutions; but when he was repelled and excluded from his undertaking, being suffocated, as it were, by the blood of the martyrs, he turned to another path; and he cleverly devised, as men who were deceivers and impostors are wont to do, that by adopting the same name as us, they might simultaneously drive those believers whom they had caught into the pit of perdition; and that those who were ignorant of their schemes might have their study and desire for learning the sound and saving word corrupted and depraved. ^C First, therefore, he stirred up Simon against us; then Menander, Cerinthus, and Nicolaus, of whom we spoke in the preceding books. Then, after a short interval, in the times we have already mentioned, he exhibited other monsters. For from the aforementioned Menander, a sort of double-mouthed and two-headed serpentine power arose, which brought forth the leaders of two heresies: Saturninus and Basilides were their names; of whom Alexandria brought forth the latter, and Antioch the former; and one in Egypt, the other in Syria, opened schools hateful to God. Irenaeus taught that Saturninus held the same [views] as those [we have mentioned], and he denied the resurrection. ^D He also blathered that Christ was sent not in the substance of flesh, but in a phantom; nor was he nailed to the cross by the Jews, but that Simon suffered in his stead, and that therefore the crucified one was not to be worshipped.

^A Irenæus says that Saturninus uttered these false stories to Menander; but that Basilides fashioned monstrous mythologies, and, feigning that he possessed the knowledge of secret and ineffable things, pushed his notions into the infinite. And since at that time very many ecclesiastical men went against them with arguments drawn from right reason, maintaining the apostolic tradition, there were also among them those who left behind in their own writings preventive precepts against the snares of such heresies. Among these, Castor Agrippa also left a refutation of the importunity of Basilides, bringing forward his juggling tricks and secrets; he says that he composed twenty-four books upon the Gospel, and that he set up for himself, for the terror of barbarous men, certain prophets, Barcabbas and Barcoph, who never existed in the nature of things. He also introduced the Pythagorean silence, and taught that one should be indifferent, and that when time pressed, one should abjure one's faith without any ^B exception, and taste of things sacrificed to idols. And indeed Irenæus, narrating similar things about Basilides, beautifully brought his shameful error into the open. The same writer relates that Carpocrates was a contemporary of these, the author and leader of those who are called Gnostics, who was not ashamed to practice openly the magical art which his father Simon had practiced secretly and craftily. He sought glory and exalted himself through curious arts, through those love-philtres which he prepared by means of demons who sent visions of dreams and stood by them as assessors. He taught also that it was necessary for those who wished to arrive at the perfection of their sacred mysteries to commit every form of filthiness, as it would be impossible for anyone to escape those who among them were called the princes of the world, unless he had satisfied them by every unspeakable disgrace. ^C

CHAPTER III. Concerning Valentinus, Cerdon, Marcion of Pontus, and Marcus.

^A who was the ninth bishop, having come into the Church and made confession, thus continued: sometimes teaching secretly, sometimes again making confession, and sometimes being reproved for the things he taught wrongly, and withdrawing from the fellowship of the brethren. These things [are written] in the third [book] of [the work] against the heresies. In the first, however, he again reports concerning Cerdon as follows: "But a certain Cerdon, having taken his cues from the followers of Simon and having arrived in Rome under Hyginus, who held the ninth place of episcopal succession from the Apostles, taught that the God who was proclaimed by the Law and the Prophets is not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; for the one is known, but the other is unknown; and the one is just, while the ^B other is good." Marcion the Pontian, succeeding him, increased the school, blaspheming without shame or reserve. But Irenaeus, having easily traversed the immense depth of Valentinus, drags out and strips bare the serpent of impostures, which had long been hidden and lying in wait in the deepest dens of that dark, erroneous, and seducing matter, which had for the most part been concealed and hidden. He also says that Marcus, another [heretic] of their circle, came to be, being most skilled in the art of magic; their detestable mysteries are laid bare by these words: "For some of them construct a bridal chamber and celebrate a certain secret kind of initiation, adding certain vows and prayers [to be said] over those who are being initiated; and they claim that the spiritual marriages which they perform are in the likeness of the supernal ^C unions; others lead them to water, and baptizing them, add these words: 'In the name of the unknown Father of all things; into truth, the Mother of all; and into Him who descended into Jesus.' There are also those who add Hebrew names, for the greater terror and consternation of those who are being initiated."

CHAPTER IV. Concerning Tatian and Severus, and the heresy of the Encratites.

From the times of Saturninus and Marcion, they say, the heresy of the Encratites was formed, whose leader is said to have been Tatian, ^D who is held to have been a disciple of Justin the martyr. But for as long as he was with him, he put forward nothing of this sort. But after that man had ended his life by martyrdom, he was puffed up with the vanity of doctrine, as though he were superior to the rest in knowledge, and began a peculiar school of his own; establishing invisible aeons just like Valentinus; and babbling and shouting the same things as Saturninus and Marcion concerning marriage, corruption, and fornication; and furthermore, he set himself against the salvation of Adam. His successor, Severus, increasing the heresy of that man even more, seized upon the occasion to draw the followers of that man to himself, and called them Severians after his own name. These also accept the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospels themselves, interpreting things of the sacred Scripture with certain of their own private explanations, as it seemed good to them.

^A Moreover, they speak against the Apostle Paul with scoffs and slanders, and they utterly reject the book of his Epistles, as well as the book of the Acts. Tatian, however, having made a certain collection and connection of the divine Gospels, gave it the title *Diatessaron*—which continued for a long time. They say that he also translated certain expressions of the Apostle, pretending to polish the plainness of the style. Tatian left behind a great multitude of writings, of which the most renowned is the discourse titled *To the Greeks*; in it, he remembers the ancient times and proves that Moses is more ancient than the wise men of the Greeks and all their prophets. This discourse seems to be the most elegant and useful of all his writings, as I myself have had the occasion to read. Let these things suffice concerning the sect of Tatian, or, if you prefer, of Severianus.

CHAPTER V

As these doctrines ^C sprouted up in those times, the ancient enemy of our race, through them, drew the heretics miserably into his own jurisdiction and destruction. Among the Gentiles, however, he himself, through his own monstrous and shameful pollutions, brought the greatest calumny of terrible infamy against the Christian name and the doctrine of the life-giving Word, so that those who had not yet been drawn to the profession of our faith conceived a very impious suspicion of us—as though we engaged in unspeakable lusts, cohabiting with our mothers and sisters, and were contaminated by an altogether impure and wicked manner of life. But God, who cares for our salvation, did not long endure those heretics. For the adulterated dogmas of the Church, which had gradually appeared, were shortly extinguished and destroyed by themselves and among one another, as others vied with novelties, ^D and were in conflict with each other—not otherwise than the commotions of waves rising and falling incessantly, passing into various and manifold forms, and finally vanishing so that nothing of them remained. Conversely, the cause of truth itself kept taking its own increase, and was being magnified day by day, taking a certain accession and firm strength from the assault of the heretics. For the splendor and state of the Catholic Church remained ever consistent with itself; and its chastity, modesty, liberty, the divine order of life and morals, and the sincerity of its doctrine, were seen to shine forth wondrously among both Greeks and Barbarians. And so, as those [heretical] things, being unstable, flowed away with the length of time, the envious calumny against our doctrine likewise flowed away; and only the faith and doctrine which we profess

^A remained in its chaste and pure state, so beautifully and becomingly that henceforth no one dared easily to bring forward against it anything infamous or unseemly through calumny. The ancients, if any ever rose up against the doctrine of the Catholic Church, took great care to address this, because of the empty talk of impure and profane men. And this, indeed, the grace and providence of God brought about in many ways, as was fitting; nevertheless, it also brought others into the midst who would oppose such ravings, who would join battle with those pernicious and wicked men, and who would vanquish the lies of the impious heresies not only by published books, but also by unwritten and, as one might say, adamant proofs ^B. Among these, the first after Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp was Justin, the philosopher and martyr, concerning whom we spoke in the immediately preceding book. After him, Hegesippus attained much praise. Third after him was Dionysius, Bishop of the Corinthians. Fourth, Theophilus of Antioch. Following these were Philip and Modestus; then Melito, Apollinarius, and Musanus; and after them, Bardesanes the Syrian completed the tenth number. All these left behind very many and various monumental writings, concerning which, as much as we are able, we shall speak in the present tome, ^C just as we shall do in the rest; for we will not allow the memory of those who followed these to perish. We shall also subsequently make mention of Pantaenus and the Alexandrian Clement, who from his volume was named *Stromateus*, or Contextor; furthermore, of Rhodo and Miltiades, Apollonius and Serapion, Irenaeus and Hippolytus, and the rest down to the most learned Origen himself, who, by the power of his discourse, his doctrine, and the monuments of his books, contributed very much weight to the Christian profession. Of Papias, Quadratus, Aristides, and Castore we have already spoken. Now let us treat of the books of Justin.

CHAPTER VI.

Of the books which Justin, the philosopher among the martyrs, composed.

He indeed published very many writings; but those which have reached us are these: An oration for our faith ^D to Antoninus, who is surnamed the Pious, and to his children, and to the Roman Senate. A second defense of the same argument to Marcus Verus, the successor of Antoninus. Another oration also written to the Greeks, in which he speaks much concerning the nature of demons, a question which was indeed long and much agitated both among the wise Greeks and among our own people. Again, another book published to the Greeks, whose title is *Confutation*. Also a book on the *Monarchy of God*, the arguments and passages of which he gleaned not only from the books of our own people, but also from those of profane authors. Furthermore, a book which is inscribed *Psalter*. A *Scholium on the Soul*, in which, having set forth various questions of the Greek philosophers, he appends certain opinions,

and he promises that he will explain how to answer these logically, and at a later time will set forth his own opinion in another work. He also composed a book against Marcion the Pontic, in which he sets out these things: ^A «Marcion the Pontic even today teaches his followers to think that there is some other God greater than the Creator of all things; who also, through the assistance of demons, has persuaded many among every race of men to speak blasphemies, and to deny that the Creator of all this universe is the Father of Christ, but to profess that some other being, greater than He, created it. And all who have originated from these, as we have said, are called Christians; just as, although the doctrines are not common with the philosophers, the name which is invoked, that of philosophy, is common to all. » To these words he afterwards adds, saying: «There is also a work composed by us against all the heresies that have existed; if you wish to read it, we will give it to you.» He also published a dialogue against the Jews, which, while he was at Ephesus, he dedicated ^B to Trypho, a man famous among the Hebrews, whom he also introduces as discussing with him therein. In it he clearly professes that he was drawn by divine grace to the profession of our faith; and consequently, that having spent much study in the disciplines of the philosophers, he had turned with a very eager mind to the search for truth. He states also that the Jews had insidiously plotted against the doctrine of Christ, using these words to Trypho: «Not only did you not repent for the evil things which you did, but having selected choice men then, you sent them out from Jerusalem into every land, saying that an atheistic sect of Christians had arisen, and recounting those things which all those who are ignorant of us speak against us; so that you are the causes of iniquity not only to yourselves, but also to all other men absolutely.» He writes, furthermore, that in his own time, prophetic gifts flourished in the Church of God. He also asserts that it is held as common knowledge ^C that the Apocalypse is John's. Finally, he sharply refutes Trypho, because the Jews had removed many of the prophetic sayings that openly prophesy about Christ. There were also many other labors of the man. And so highly were his writings held in esteem by the ancients, that Irenæus in the fourth book *Against Heresies* records certain of his sayings, saying: «And Justin well says in the book *Against Marcion*, that 'I would not even have believed the Lord Himself, if He had proclaimed any other God than the Creator of all things.'» And again in the fifth book of the same work: «Justin rightly said that, before the coming of the Lord, Satan did not dare to blaspheme God, inasmuch as he did not yet know his own condemnation.» And such, then, are the writings of Justin. ^D

CHAPTER VII. On Hegesippus and his writings.

^A Hegesippus also flourished in the same times. In five books he left behind the doctrine of the evangelical demonstration, in a complete and very simple form; in these he makes it manifest that he met with many bishops while traveling to Rome, from whom he received one and the same doctrine. He also makes mention of the epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, reciting certain passages from it. He also relates how he came to have a conversation with Primus, their bishop, and from there crossed over to Rome, when Anicetus held the episcopate there. He mentions his deacon, Eleutherus, who succeeded Soter, just as the latter had succeeded Anicetus. Furthermore, in all the cities, he testifies that he found the proclamation sound, just as the Law, the Prophets, and the Lord Himself taught. He makes mention, likewise, of the origins of certain heresies, thus recounting: «And after James the Just had suffered martyrdom, ^B as had the Lord for the same word, Simeon, the son of his uncle Cleopas, is again appointed as bishop, whom all proposed as the second cousin of the Lord. For this reason they called the Church a virgin, because it had not yet been corrupted by idle and vain doctrines. Thebutes was the first to begin to corrupt it, because he had suffered a rejection in his petition for the bishopric; he himself was also among the number of the seven heresies in the Jewish people, from which originated Simon, whence the Simonians; and Cleobius, whence the Cleobians; and Dositheus, whence the Dositheans; and Gorthæus, whence the Gorthæans; and Masbotheus, whence the Masbotheans. From these ^C originated the Adrianists, the Marcionists, the Carpocratians, the Valentinians, the Basilidians, and the Saturninians. Each one of these introduced his own peculiar opinion separately and differently. From these came the false Christs, false prophets, and false apostles, who divided the unity of the Church by pernicious teachings against God and against His Christ.» He records also concerning the heresies in Judæa, saying: «There were also various opinions in the circumcision among the sons of Israel against the tribe of Judah and Christ Himself, which were these: Essenes, Galilæans, Hemerobaptists, Masbotheans, Samaritans, Sadducees, Pharisees.» And he writes many other things, of which we have already made mention in part previously, providing what is appropriate at the proper times. In these, he brings forward certain things from the Hebrew and Syriac Gospel, and from the Hebrew tongue. Moreover, he sufficiently indicates that he came to Christianity from the Jews. He makes mention also of other matters from the unwritten Jewish tradition. And he calls the Proverbs of Solomon a wisdom filled with every virtue; and not only he, but also Irenæus, and almost all who are distinguished by their antiquity. He discourses also concerning the so-called Apocrypha, saying that in his own generation ^D certain things had been secretly inserted into them by some heretics, which were fabricated by them.

Chapter VIII. Concerning Dionysius, the bishop of Corinth, and his epistles.

^A From him, our discourse must turn to Dionysius the Corinthian, who presided over the church of that place. He was of such great benefit, not only by his pious and holy labor to those entrusted to his care, but also to those in far-off regions, showing himself accessible to all, and writing catholic epistles to them. One of these is to the Lacedaemonians, containing a catechism and instruction in orthodoxy and a more upright doctrine; its title is "On Peace and Unity." The second he gave to the Athenians, in which he stirs them up to embrace the sincere faith, with a legitimate rebuke since they were but little intent on an accurate institution of evangelical doctrine and life, inasmuch as they had almost completely fallen away from the Christian profession; he mentions that in the persecution of their times, their bishop Publius had departed this life, sealed by martyrdom; and he says that ^B Quadratus succeeded him in governing the church, and that by his zeal and diligence the assemblies of the faithful began to be held once again, and that the embers of the faith were excited anew. In that epistle he also indicates that, by the exhortation of Paul, Dionysius the Areopagite had assumed the bishopric of the church of the Athenians. He wrote another also to the church of Nicomedia, in which, vehemently attacking the heresy of Marcion, he insists upon and relies on the ecclesiastical canon. Another is circulated to the Gortynians and the remaining churches throughout Crete, in which he praises their bishop, Philip, because he rightly governed his church as it flourished in the praise of fortitude and every virtue; then at the end he exhorts them to be on their guard against the fraud and perversity of heretics. Furthermore, writing to the Amastrians and the churches in Pontus, he mentions Bacchylides and Elpistus, who had urged him to write, and also takes note of the bishop Palma. In that epistle he sets forth many solutions and explanations of the Scriptures; he relates much concerning chastity and marriage. He also commands that all who convert to the Church from whatsoever heresy, fault, or sin should be kindly received. ^C Following these is the epistle given to the Gnossians, in which he admonishes Pinytus, their bishop, not to impose the burden of celibacy upon the brethren as being necessary, but to take into account the infirmity of the many. Pinytus, in his reply to this, while admiring, praising, and embracing the man, asks him for more mature and firmer writing, by which he might impart to them a better and more solid food, lest, having been nourished on childish elements, they might grow old in the feeding of milk. Through this epistle, not only is the orthodox and right faith of Pinytus, but also his reason and his understanding of divine matters and his usefulness to his subjects, clearly shown. He also dictates another epistle to Soter, the bishop of Rome, from which it is right that I should set forth a few things; from these the

custom observed by them up to the time of the persecution is clearly established. He says, “It is your custom from the beginning to benefit the brethren in various ways, and to send provisions to many churches in every city, in some places relieving the poverty of the needy, and in others providing for the brethren in the mines. Through these provisions which you have sent from the beginning, you Romans preserve the ancestral custom of the Romans; a custom which your blessed bishop Soter has not only maintained, but also increased, by providing the abundance which is sent to the saints, and by exhorting with blessed words the brethren who arrive, as a most loving father does to his children.” In this same epistle, mention is made of the epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, indicating that it was his custom, as it had been from of old, to have it read in the Church. For he says: ^B “Today we spent the holy Lord’s day, in which we read your epistle; which we shall also possess, reading it from time to time for our warning, as we also do that which was written to us before by Clement.” Furthermore, concerning his own epistles, which had been craftily corrupted, he says: “For I have written epistles at the request of the brethren, but the apostles of the devil have filled them with tares, subtracting some things and adding others; for whom the woe is reserved. It is no wonder, therefore, if some have dared to tamper even with the writings of the Lord, when they have plotted against those that are not to be compared with them.” There is also an epistle of his to Chrysophora, a most faithful sister, to whom he wrote what was appropriate, and satisfied her with rational food. Thus far concerning Dionysius.

CAPUT IX.

Concerning Theophilus of Antioch, and Modestus, and their writings.

Of Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, three books of Institutions addressed to Autolycus are current, and an epistle ^C against the heresy of Hermogenes, in which he uses many testimonies from the Apocalypse of John. Other writings of his are also extant, replete with divine doctrines. Moreover, at that time, when heretics, like tares, were springing up strongly in the sincere and pure sowing of the Church, the bishops of the churches throughout the world were driving them away and warding them off, just as if they were wild ^D beasts; sometimes by exhortations and precepts written to the brethren, and sometimes, indeed, by the mere force of their words, engaging the enemies face to face to overthrow them; and at other times, by published books, keeping them far away through dense and certain refutations. Among these too is one whom we are now considering, Theophilus, a truly strong champion; it is clear from his books which are still in circulation that he contended vigorously against Marcion, and brought his error and deceit into the public view. But he was not only one to argue against the Pontic Marcion—

^A Philippus, whom we have earlier known from the words of Dionysius to have been bishop of the parish of Gortyna, published a most eloquent work against him, as did Irenæus and Modestus; the latter, more than the others, caught the man's impostures and refuted them. Furthermore, many others entered into the struggle against him, whose records are preserved to this day by the studious.

CHAPTER X.

Concerning Melito, Bishop of Sardis, and his writings.

public pillaging. To these words he adds the following: ^A “For our philosophy first flourished among the Barbarians; but having blossomed forth among your nations under the great reign of your forefather Augustus, it became for your empire, in particular, a very auspicious good. For from that time the Roman power increased into something great and brilliant, of which you, having become and being the desired successor, along with your son, will preserve that philosophy which grew up as it were together with the empire and began its increase with Augustus; which also your ancestors honored alongside the other religions. And the greatest proof that our doctrine flourished for the good, alongside your well-begun reign, is that nothing bad has befallen the empire since the start of Augustus’s rule, but on the contrary, everything, according to everyone’s prayers, has turned out brilliant and glorious. Only Nero and Domitian of all others, having been persuaded by certain envious men, ^B wished to bring our doctrine into calumny; from whom also, by an irrational habit of slander, it happened that falsehood flowed forth against such people. But your pious fathers corrected their ignorance, often reprimanding with many written rescripts those who dared to innovate anything against us. Among these, your grandfather Hadrian appears to have written about this matter to many others, and also to Fundanus, the proconsul governing Asia. Your father also, while he was managing the affairs of the empire with you, wrote about us in that edict which he issued to the cities—and specifically to the Larissaeans, to the Thessalonians, and to all the Greeks—that no revolutionary measures should be taken; and we are persuaded that you, who hold even more than they—or rather, a sentiment more accommodating to humanity and philosophy—will do everything we ask.” These things he says in the oration to Antoninus. ^C In those Eclogues and compendiums of the Scriptures which he wrote, he immediately at the beginning, having inscribed that work to a certain Onesiphorus, lists the books of the Old Testament that are placed beyond controversy. He praises that man, because he was both of proven faith and had put much study into learning the Scriptures. He asserts that he himself had traveled to Jerusalem for that very purpose, so that he might ascertain certain facts there concerning these books. And so, setting forth the number and nomenclature of them, he says: “Five are the books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, Deuteronomy; Jesus Nave, Judges, Ruth, four [books] of Kings, two of Chronicles, the book of David’s Psalms, Solomon’s Proverbs, which is also Wisdom, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, Job; of the Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, the twelve in one book; Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra.” ^D Then he adds: “From which I have also compiled the Eclogues and selected sentences, having divided them into six books.” Such are the records concerning Melito.

CHAPTER XI. Of Apollinaris of Hierapolis: also of Musanus and Bardesanes the Syrian, and of their writings.

^A Concerning Apollinaris, many other things are recorded, among which are these: an oration to Antoninus in defense of the faith; five other books dealing with the Greeks in dialogue form; also two books on truth; as well as two more against the Jews. He also composed works against the heresy of the Phrygians, which not long after introducing innovations into the Church, began to sprout—this being when Montanus, along with his pseudo-prophetesses, first started his deviation. Such are the records concerning Apollinaris of Hierapolis.

Regarding Musanus, whom we mentioned before, there exists a most beautiful work of exhortation composed by him for certain brothers who, without reason, had inclined toward the heresy of the Encratites, which had sprung up in those times, introducing into the world a strange and corrupting false doctrine. History has previously indicated that the leader and author of this sect was Tatian, a hearer of the martyr Justin, and that Severus later promoted it. Irenæus also writes thus concerning the Encratites: ^B “From Saturninus and Marcion, those called Encratites taught that marriage should not be contracted, at the same time rejecting the first creation of God, and silently accusing Him because He had created male and female for the propagation of mankind. They also instituted abstention from what they call living creatures, showing ingratitude toward God, who created all things. They also deny the salvation of the first man.” This is what is said concerning Musanus.

In that same season, when the heresies of the Phrygians and others were flooding Mesopotamia, Bardesanes the Syrian, a man most skilled in many tongues and most eloquent in the Syrian language, and highly practiced in refuting heretics, strenuously engaged in defense against Marcion and others—five authors of varying dogmas. He composed dialogues and many other writings in his own vernacular/native language; ^C and because these were powerful defenses of the word of faith, many of his hearers translated them into the Greek tongue. Among these is the book he wrote to Antoninus concerning fate, in which he sufficiently describes the Father of the Word. It is also held that he published other pamphlets on the occasion of the persecution. And although he was at first a follower of Valentinus, once he had rejected him and sufficiently refuted his fabulous doctrines and opinions, he appeared to have himself attained the perfection and goal of the true faith, though he did not entirely cleanse away the filth of his old opinion, which had turned into a habit.

CHAPTER XII. Of Gaius and Tertullian: who wrote how, when the army was suffering from thirst under Marcus in Germany, God was moved by the prayers of our soldiers to send rain, and with thunderbolts struck down the enemies.

^D And many others, having the same mind, were…

^A fighting for the faith and struggling against heresies, writing and recording the customs of the Church’s constitution, and all that they had received both in writing and by tradition—they have left behind a great multitude of works. Among these, Gaius and Tertullian should be numbered, for they themselves also wrote many excellent pieces, though to recount them one by one is far beyond the scope of the present work. This Tertullian was a presbyter, born of a centurion father; Cyprian the martyr took great delight in reading him. Being very learned, he left behind many writings under Severus. ^B Later, however, owing to the envy of the Roman clergy, he slipped into the doctrine of Montanus and composed certain treatises against the Church, defending the opinion of Montanus: these include the six books *On Modesty*, *On Persecution*, *On Fasting*, *On Monogamy*, and *On Ecstasy*; also seven books *Against Apollonius*, and many others besides. In addition to these, he wrote an *Apology* to the Roman Senate in defense of the faith, in which he records that when Marcus Antoninus was waging war against the Germans and Sarmatians and drawing up his battle line against the enemy, his entire army came to such helplessness and desperation on account of a grave and prolonged drought that our legion knelt, ^C as is our custom, to pray and beseech God; and this, appearing strange and unusual to the enemy, struck them with great terror. And while they were praying in this manner, another thing even greater occurred, beyond opinion and expectation: for a thunderbolt suddenly falling drove the enemy to flight, and a heavy downpour of rain, falling immediately, refreshed and restored the army which was on the verge of perishing from thirst, in answer to the prayers of our people; as indeed has been recorded by non-Christian historians who intended to write the account of the Caesars. They, however, do not attribute this miracle to our prayers—for how could they, being entirely alien to our sentiments?—but those who are on our side or are friendly to us, with a simple and ^D guileless disposition, ascribe what occurred to our men. One of these is Apollinaris, who records that the Emperor decreed that this legion, which consisted of Christian soldiers, should hold a place of privilege in the army and should always march ahead of the other forces; and the same Emperor bestowed upon it the name "Thunder-strikers." Indeed, Tertullian would also be a trustworthy witness detailing these things: "The letters of Marcus, that most wise Emperor, are still currently held, in which he himself testifies that when the army was about to perish in Germany from a lack of water, it was saved by the prayers of the Christians." They say he also threatened death to those who attempted to accuse us, regarding whom [alt-version omitted] he adds [index: entries preserved]

^A "What, then, are these laws, which alone the impious, the unjust, and the cruel enforce against us? Laws which Vespasian did not maintain, although he was the victor over the Jews; which Trajan partially frustrated by forbidding Christians to be sought out; which neither Hadrian, though he was an investigator into all curiosities, nor he who was called Pius, confirmed?" Gaius, however, under Zephyrinus, having composed a dialogue against Proclus, a partisan of Montanus, in which he censures his reckless audacity for introducing a new prophecy, attained the greatest praise and glory.

CAPUT XIII. Concerning Irenaeus, Bishop of Lugdunum; how in his time also divine signs and wonders occurred.

^B Irenaeus, who was bishop of the parish of Lugdunum, which the Rhone flows past, and who was the successor of Pothinus—who had finished his life in martyrdom together with the other martyrs in Gaul, at full ninety years of age, of whom we shall speak shortly—had been a hearer of Polycarp in his early youth. And he too left behind many and varied memorials worthy of remembrance. ^C But five books of his alone are now current, to which he gave the title *Against and Overturning of Falsely Named Knowledge*. In the second book, therefore, he clearly argues how, even in his own time, there were in the churches very many proofs of the divine and miracle-working power. For he speaks as follows: "So far are they from possessing the gift of raising the dead, as the Lord raised them, and the apostles through prayer, and in the brotherhood, when much fasting and supplication had been made by the whole local church, that the spirit of the deceased has returned, and the man has been granted to the prayers of the saints." And again: "But if any should say that the Lord did these things only in appearance and as if by a trick, we shall lead them to the prophetic writings and show that all these things were foretold concerning Him, and therefore certainly came to pass, and that He alone is the Son of God. ^D Wherefore also His true and genuine disciples, having received grace from Him, continue to do good to other men, just as each has received the gift from Him. For some cast out demons, while others have foreknowledge of things to come, and visions and prophetic utterances. Others heal the sick by the laying on of hands and restore them to health. Indeed, as we have said, even the dead have been raised back to life and have remained with us for many years. And what might I say? For it is not possible to tell the number of the gifts which the Church, throughout the whole world, having received from God in the name of Jesus Christ,

^B who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, daily performs for the benefit of the nations, neither deceiving anyone nor exacting money; for just as she has received freely from God, she also ministers freely. » And in another passage he says something similar: « Just as we also hear of many brethren ^C in the Church who possess prophetic gifts, and who speak through the Spirit in all kinds of tongues, and who bring to light the hidden things of men for their benefit, and who declare the mysteries of God. » So much for these matters.

CHAPTER XIV. How Irenaeus makes mention of the divinely inspired Scriptures; and concerning the Apocalypse of John, and concerning the translation of the Seventy.

He also makes mention of the sacred Scriptures ^D and of the books of the Testament, first of all listing the four Gospels, almost just as we ourselves have set forth at the end of the second volume. In the fifth book, furthermore, of his argument, he makes mention of the Apocalypse of John, and of his epistle, and likewise of that of Peter. Concerning the Apocalypse, he writes this: « These things are so, and in all the diligent and ancient copies this number is found, and those who saw John face to face testify to it; and the words themselves signify that the number of the name of the beast, according to the calculation of the Greeks, is expressed through the letters which are in it. » And again: « We, for our part, will not hazard a definite statement and confirmation concerning the name of the Antichrist. For if it had been necessary that his name be proclaimed openly at the present time, it would have been declared by him who saw the Apocalypse. For it was seen not long ago, but almost in our own generation, towards the end of the reign of Domitian. » Irenaeus also makes mention of the Wisdom of Solomon. He also accepts the book which is called The Shepherd, using its testimony and authority: « Rightly, therefore, does Scripture say: Believe first of all that there is one God, who created and brought all things to perfection. » He also makes mention of a certain presbyter of apostolic life, whose name he does not express; I, however, consider him to be the second John who was at Ephesus, called the Presbyter, many of whose expositions and memorable sayings he inserts into his own writings. Furthermore, he makes mention of Clement and Justin, and cites certain passages from them. But what he writes concerning the translation of the divinely inspired Scriptures by the Seventy, it seemed right to relate in his own words: « And so God became man, and the Lord Himself saved us, giving the sign of the virgin: and not as some say, who have dared to mistranslate the Scripture: Behold, a young woman shall have a womb and shall bring forth a son: as Theodotion the Ephesian and Aquila of Pontus, Jewish proselytes,

as Theodotion the Ephesian interpreted, and Aquila the Pontian, both Jewish proselytes; whom the Ebionites followed, asserting that he was born of Joseph.” And a little further on he says: ^A “For before the Romans strengthened their rule, while the Macedonians possessed Asia, Ptolemy, son of Lagus, being ambitious to adorn the library he had constructed in Alexandria with the literary works of all men, as many as might be worthy, requested of the Jerusalemites that he might have their Scriptures translated into the Greek language. And they, being still subject to the Macedonians, sent to Ptolemy seventy of their elders who were the most experienced in the Scriptures and in both languages, God having done what He willed. But he, wishing to make a separate trial of them, fearing lest perhaps they might conspire together and conceal the truth in the Scriptures by their translation, separated them from one another, and ordered them all to write the same translation. And this he did for all the books. And when they came together to the same place before Ptolemy, and compared their translations of each one, God was glorified and the Scriptures were thus recognized as divine, for all of them had rendered the same things in the same words and with the same names from beginning to end; so that even the present nations might know that the Scriptures were translated by the inspiration of God. And it is not to be wondered at that God should have brought this about, for He who, ^B even when the Scriptures were lost during the captivity of the people under Nebuchadnezzar, and when after seventy years the Jews returned to their land, then in the times of Artaxerxes, king of the Persians, inspired Ezra the priest of the tribe of Levi to rearrange all the books of the prophets that had been lost, and to restore to the people the lawgiving through Moses.” And these things he says concerning the divine Scriptures.

CHAPTER XV

In the third book of the *Against Heresies*, he compiles the catalog of the Roman bishops up to Eleutherus, who succeeded Soter. He makes Eleutherus the twelfth in succession from the apostles; and he sets them forth in order, just as we also previously arranged them in the catalog. And concerning Clement, of whom he speaks at length, he also mentions the sedition at Corinth, and the epistle of Clement: “For the Church of Rome,” he says, ^D “wrote a very sufficient epistle to the Corinthians, bringing them back to peace and concord, and renewing their faith, and the tradition which they had recently received from the apostles.” And he writes that one of the bishops after Clement, Telesphorus, attained glory by martyrdom,

and finally adds: “Now, in the twelfth place from the apostles, Eleutherus holds the lot of the episcopate by his order and doctrine; and the tradition from the apostles in the Church, and the preaching of the truth, has reached even us.” ^B And as for the zeal which Irenaeus had for the divine faith, the letter which the martyrs at Vienne and Lyon—while they were still being afflicted, enclosed in prison—sent recommending him to Eleutherus, the bishop of Rome, and to Irenaeus, who at that time shone with the dignity of a presbyter, shall suffice to testify. And the recommendation is as follows: “We wish you health in God in all things always, Father Eleutherus. We have persuaded our brother and partner Irenaeus to bring these our letters to you. We ask that you hold him recommended to you, as being an excellent zealot for the testament of Christ. For if we knew that praise before anyone could be earned through place and rank, we would have recommended him to you as a presbyter of the Church, which he is, in the first place.” Mention is also made of other beautiful works of Irenaeus, such as certain writings to Blastus, Florinus, and a certain Marcian, and a book of disputations. Also, the book inscribed by him, *On Knowledge to the Greeks*, is a very necessary work; as well as the things said by him concerning the Pasch, of which we shall speak later in their proper place. Such are the things concerning the divine Irenaeus.

CHAPTER XVI.

Regarding the letter of the holy martyrs in Gaul, and the very great persecution by which they were afflicted.

Since we have made mention of Irenaeus and the martyrs of Gaul and Vienne, it seems just to me ^C to relate a few things concerning their steadfastness and fortitude. It was the seventeenth year of the empire of Antoninus Pius, when, in all parts of the earth, a turbulent wind of Christian persecution blowing, and the peoples rising up against us everywhere with headlong audacity, vast thousands of martyrs died for Christ; as it is easy to infer by conjecture from those things which were done among certain nations. The writings in which such remarkable contests, worthy of eternal memory, are related, also bear witness to this. Yet truly, another person, in writing history for the memory of posterity, indulging in his style, might transmit the victories and triumphs reported from enemies defeated, the imperial arts of generals, and deeds ^D done prudently and bravely by both counsel and hand, and the contests undertaken by sturdy soldiers for their wives, children, and the fatherland itself, and blood abundantly shed in many battles for their safety. Our discourse, however, having undertaken the task of treating the customs and institutions of the life and religion of the Christians, will proclaim to eternal memory their steadfastness in the contests undertaken for the truth, and the most peaceful battles of excellent souls, and the trophies and victories over invisible adversaries, and the crowns for all these things; revealing them as a pillar, not of bronze or stone, but one inscribed with adamant to the age.

^A Furthermore, in that season, the province of Gaul was like a stadium for martyrdom; in which, besides other places, there are two famous metropolitan cities, Lugdunum and Vienna, which the river Rhone, having traversed the whole region of those places, brushes past. The illustrious churches in the aforementioned cities sent an account of their martyrs to the brethren in Asia and Phrygia, using the following preface: “Those who dwell in Vienna and Lugdunum in Gaul, servants of Christ, to the brethren in Asia and Phrygia who have the same faith and hope of redemption as we do, peace, and grace, and glory from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Then, adding other words to the preface, they begin writing in this way: ^B “The magnitude of our afflictions and hardships, and such great wrath of the nations against the saints, and the calamities which the blessed martyrs endured, we consider it impossible for us to recount accurately in speech or to capture in writing. For the adversary rushed upon us with all his forces; and from the very beginning he appeared, manifesting that his presence would be a terror to us, as if boldly foreshadowing his future arrival by a certain prelude, and by applying every kind of persecution and affliction, he accustomed and exercised his own against the ministers of God, since they forbade us not only in houses, baths, and the marketplace, but completely in public, so that none of us might appear anywhere. But the grace of God fought for us against them, confirming the weak, ^C and set against them stable columns: those men who, through endurance, were able to draw the whole onslaught of that evil one upon themselves; and who engaged him, enduring every kind of insult and torture; and who regarded many things as few, hastening toward Christ, truly manifesting that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed. And at first, collectively, they endured the things brought upon them by the multitude: insulting outcries, blows, being dragged, plunderings, stonings, and imprisonments, and all other things that it is the custom of a savage multitude to do against enemies and foes.”

Chapter 17. On Vettius, Sanctus, Pothinus, Alexander, Biblias, Blandina, and others: namely, how they sustained the struggle for Christ and were subsequently cast into the river.

^D Then the writing continues, “that they were led away by the military tribune, and having been interrogated, were thrown into prison. And among them was a certain Vettius Epagathus, both flourishing in the prime of his age, and excelling in faith and every kind of good work,

^A having been snatched up; ten, however, having been discouraged by the magnitude of the dangers, were overcome and left great fear among the saints, by reason of their anxiety for the outcome of the future, lest they should also be endangered by that fear and fall away from Christ. But others little by little completed their number; so that the earnest ones were gathered from the two churches, and the servants from among the Gentiles were seized with the martyrs: whom the constraint of the scourges also forced to falsely accuse them; so that they were spreading abroad, against them, Thyestean feasts and Oedipean unions, and other such things that were neither to be heard nor told, and which were never even true among men. These things having been rumored, all, he says, were turned into wild beasts against us; so that even those who formerly, on account of neighborly acquaintance, were temperate, then were filled with great rage and gnashed their teeth. On account of these things, the holy martyrs endured tortures beyond all description, ^B Satan striving with the utmost zeal that some blasphemy might even be uttered by them. But especially the fury of the multitude itself, and of the soldiers, and of the governor, fell upon Sanctus, a deacon from Vienne; and upon Maturus, one recently illumined, but a noble and brave combatant; and upon Attalus, a Pergamenian by race, the pillar and foundation of the faithful there; and upon Blandina, who in status was a slave, but in intellect and spirit possessed a most noble bearing. In her, Christ surely exhibited and displayed that those things which are considered vile, ungrateful, and of no value among men, are held in the highest honor by Him, because of the excellent affection and love of pious souls for Him. For ^C since all were afraid, and even her mistress in the flesh was in the greatest anxiety and trouble for her (for she too was present, contending bravely for Christ), lest she would not be able, by reason of the weakness of her nature, to even speak the simple confession with boldness, such strength was granted to her, as the story reports, that those who were beating her in succession from morning until evening with rods were overcome and confessed themselves defeated, not knowing what more they could do to her. For they were astonished, wondering that the spirit should remain in her at all, when her body was mangled and laid open on all sides. But she, as if she had been exercised in contests from youth, endured; and her respite—I might almost say—and the painlessness of the lashes and tortures was the fact that she would ever proclaim, "I am a Christian." The holy ^D man, too, showed such a great surplus of endurance against the things brought upon him and the most numerous afflictions, standing forth bravely in his resistance, that he would not tell his nation, nor his city, nor his name, nor anything else during the whole contest; but to every question, he would reply, "I am a Christian," even though they were expecting to hear something base and shameful by the excess of their terrors. Whence, the executioners, having been discouraged by his endurance of the sufferings, lastly applied to the martyr's most tender parts, and pressed against them, red-hot copper plates. And those parts were burned, while the flesh exuded a foul odor; but he himself was all the more unbent and unyielding, firm in the faith, bedewed and strengthened by the heavenly fountain of the water of life. And his little body was a witness of these things

^A which had happened, being one single wound, one completely bloody bruise, contracted entirely and, in its outer appearance, most alien to the human form. In him, Christ himself was suffering, winning great glory and praise, and destroying the adversary. For he exhibited a manifest example to all the rest, that there is nothing terrible or to be feared where the love of God the Father is present, and nothing grievous or painful where there is the glory of Christ. The adversaries, indeed, seething with ^B an incredible swelling and inflammation of spirit, thought that they would be superior only if, after an interval of several days, they should subsequently inflict the same torments, or if they should deliver one made dead by such immense punishments, in order to bring fear and terror to the rest. When they attempted to carry this out, they were so frustrated in their hope that he, being relieved in his body of all torments and pains, was instantly restored, and recovered the use of his limbs and his whole form in such a way that the punishments which were again inflicted upon him seemed not a torture, but a healing and restoration, since help was clearly brought to him from heaven. Furthermore, they produced a certain Biblias ^C and, mangling her cruelly with scourges, they tried to persuade her to say that we, forsooth, commit execrable deeds. But she, as though awakened from sleep, confessed something far different and contrary to what they were expecting, adding this besides: "How indeed could these men eat infants, when they even abstain from the blood of irrational animals?" And since she both suffered such things and spoke with such a noble spirit, she was numbered with the martyrs. For indeed, after these inquisitors and torturers found themselves to be weaker ^D by the power of Christ, and were prostrated by the constancy and patience of the martyrs, they took counsel to afflict them in prison. Thus were they tormented by the foul gloom of the horrendous darkness and by the squalor, while the stretching of their feet was extended to the fifth hole of the stocks. Wherefore many were suffocated in their bonds, and many, living with difficulty, drew their breath in pain,

^A their bodies having been rendered unsightly and stinking with a foul odor, full of deformity, and carrying a retributive conscience that smote them as much as possible; for as men who were base and cowardly, having pinned upon themselves the charge of murderers and having cast off the all-honored name, they were strengthened by the sight of the martyrs and implored to be received by them. And they received them very willingly, with no thought of the past following them. After this, their martyrdoms were divided into manifold forms; for, having woven one crown from many-flowered and diverse colors, they offered it to Christ, ^B by which they received from thence the great prize of incorruptibility. Maturus, therefore, and Sanctus, Blandina, and Attalus were led forth publicly to the wild beasts, and, being brought into the amphitheater, they again partook of the same tortures. And indeed, having endured many things, they were also led to the iron chair, by which their bodies were roasted and filled the executioners with much stench. They, however, felt such pain that they wished to overcome their suffering, as though they were mad. Having therefore come through a great struggle, Sanctus and Maturus were sacrificed on that day. Blandina, however, having been stretched out upon a stake, was set forth as food for the beasts; and, by forming the shape of Him who was crucified for her sake, she provided much courage to the fellow-combatants, who through the sister saw the form of the One they desired. And at the same time she persuaded them that whoever has suffered for the glory of Christ shares in eternal communion with the living God. Since the wild beasts did not touch her, ^C she was kept for a second struggle, so that, having conquered the crooked serpent through many and various trials, she might be an exhortation to the brothers, being small and lowly, yet having obtained the great and unassailable combatant Christ, having crushed the adversary through many contests, and having snatched the crown of incorruptibility through a great struggle. After her, Attalus was led to the amphitheater with a tablet borne before him, saying this: "This is Attalus the Christian." He was a man of note, having a robust conscience, and being very well-trained in matters concerning Christ and always a witness of the truth. But the common people being incensed against him, the governor ordered him to be shut in prison as a Roman, until he could bring word to Caesar concerning him and the rest. ^D In the meantime, those who had previously been dead by their denial were receiving the breath of life, and the mother received those whom the dead had cast out as living, and they were made sweet by Him who does not desire the death of the sinner, and they were restored to suffer. For indeed, letters having been sent from Caesar, those who were Romans were sentenced to death by the sword; the others were cast to the wild beasts and other horrors. First of all, those who had previously experienced repentance were examined, with hope alluring them to choose again. But they were assigned to the fellowship of the martyrs; yet there are those who also came later to perdition, who were unworthy and unsteady, and who spoke blasphemously regarding the way. And to the catalog of the martyrs also Alex-

Alexander was inscribed, a man skilled in the medical art, and known to all in Gaul: for he was gifted with much boldness of speech, and was not without apostolic grace. For while standing by the tribunal, and by a nod ^A exhorting the martyrs, he was detected, acting as if he were bringing forth the contests. And so, being denounced to the judge, and condemned to death together with Attalus, he was exposed to the ferocity of the beasts. But when they felt no harm from them, having undergone many contests, at last they too were slain like victims: Alexander indeed having said nothing; but Attalus, when he was being burned on the iron chair, and the odor from him was giving rise to a stench, spoke only this, prefacing it in the Roman tongue: "Lo, this is the very thing that is to eat human flesh, which you are doing; but as for us, we neither eat men, nor do we commit any other evil at all." Being asked also, what name God had, he said, "God has no name as a man has." ^B After these things, on the final day of the gladiatorial combats, Blandina was led in, again with Ponticus, a boy of about fifteen years. And since they had been forced to swear by the idols, and were disobedient, the multitude grew savage against them, and they led them through many dreadful things; for the boy, fainting under the tortures, gave up his spirit. Blandina, however, the noblest mother, having exhorted her children and sent them forth as victors to the King, hastened to her departure as if to a bridal banquet, and not to the food set out for the beasts; and after the scourges, after the beasts, after the frying pan, finally she was thrown to a fierce bull; ^C and having been tossed sufficiently by the animal, she also, at the last, was sacrificed, even the wicked themselves confessing that never among them had such and so great a woman suffered. These things having come to pass, the insolence of the lawless against the bodies of the martyrs took another direction. For whatever the martyrs had attained, this only fanned them the more into rage; and those who had been examined in various ways, they were careful to guard with dogs by night and by day, that none might secure their burial. And as for the beasts and whatever the fire had passed over—the remains, scattered and charred—and the heads together with their members, they guarded them with a military phalanx for many days; ^D and some gnashed their teeth against them, and raged against the corpses; others even mocked, and others, more moderate in pretense, asked, "Where is their God, and what has their religion profited them, which they have preferred to their own lives?" In such sorrow was the assembly of the faithful, being unable to hide these things in the earth; for neither did the night assist us, nor did money avail to move them. Far less was the gain for them, since that most excellent reward was for them to obtain burial. To these points the narrative says: "The bodies of those saints, then, having been treated in every way as a spectacle, and cast out for six days, were afterwards burned by the lawless, and re

reduced to ashes, and scattered by wicked men into the Rhone river flowing past there, so that not a single trace of them might remain on earth. And they did this as if they were able to conquer God and take away their regeneration, that, as they said, "they might not have any hope of resurrection," in which trusting, they introduce a strange and new religion to us, and despise all the terrors, ready to go to death with joy. Now let us see if they will rise again, and if their God is able to help them and snatch them from our hands." This is what the narrative reports. Furthermore, by easy conjecture and consistent reasoning, one can infer what occurred in other provinces as well, and how great a multitude of martyrs there was everywhere. ^B

CHAPTER XVIII

What vision appeared to the martyr Attalus, concerning another martyr who was leading a life that was too hard and austere; and how the martyrs of Christ willingly granted grace and forgiveness to those who had lapsed.

In this commentary, another thing worth mentioning is recorded, which I considered not at all invidious to insert into this history for the benefit of many. A certain Alcibiades, enrolled in the choir of martyrs, was leading a life entirely austere and hard, living only on bread and water, and abstaining from all other food. When he continued to observe this custom even in prison, the matter ^C was revealed to Attalus, who had also been cast in there after his first struggle. He, furthermore, admonished him that he was not acting rightly, by not using the creatures of God, and that he was becoming a source of scandal to many. ^D Consequently, from then on, Alcibiades refrained from nothing, but partook [alt-version omitted]

^A of every kind of food, without satiety, and gave thanks to God, who had provided what he had lacked. For the grace of God had not left them without its oversight; rather, the Holy Spirit was with them, counseling and directing all things for the better.

Concerning their equity and humanity, the writing we mentioned records such things as these: ^B "In such a degree, indeed, were they emulators of Jesus Christ that, although they were in such great glory, and though they had often undergone the struggle of martyrdom, and though they bore the marks of Christ, they neither called themselves martyrs, nor did they permit us to address them by that name. But if anyone of us, whether in letters or in speeches, called them martyrs, they would sharply rebuke him, ^C willingly yielding the title of martyrdom to Christ, the true and faithful martyr, and the firstborn of the dead, and the leader and author of the life of God." It adds, moreover, that they also celebrated the memory of the departed: those, namely, whom Christ had drawn to Himself; while saying that they themselves were vile and men of no account. They also asked that prayers be made for them, that it might be granted to them to finish the struggle with similar praise. ^D They, who relied upon great freedom, while showing the virtue of martyrdom in their very deeds, nevertheless begged off from the name, having been humbled by the fear of God under His mighty hand, by which they were subsequently sufficiently exalted. And they indeed defended everyone, but accused no one. They forgave everyone, and bound no one; and for those by whom they had been treated with the utmost cruelty, they prayed, just as Stephen had done before.

And again, after a few words, the writing says: "For this was the greatest war against the adversary, through the sincerity of charity, so that that beast, having been strangled, might restore alive those whom he had previously seemed to have devoured. For they did not glory in the fall of the delinquent, but shared with those in need of the same graces and gifts in which they themselves abounded.

The story of the holy, mild, and peacemaking martyrs of Gaul; and how they behaved toward the fallen.

seeing how great the dissension was among them, ^A the brethren in Gaul submitted their own pious and orthodox judgment to the aforementioned writing, and having set forth some of the letters of the martyrs mentioned, they sent them off—as if under guard—to the brethren in Asia and Phrygia concerning certain ecclesiastical questions. And the matters of the writing from Italy toward those in Asia and Phrygia were in these terms, providing [that they were testifying to those who were] prophesying.

CHAPTER XIX.

Antoninus, the son of Marcus, having spent ten years and four months in the imperial rule, yielded the authority to Commodus; in the tenth year of whose reign, Eleutherius, who had presided over the episcopate of Rome after Soter, having served for thirteen years, left the throne to Victor. It was recognized that Zephyrinus was successor to this man, who had governed for no less than ten years, and this was in the ninth year of the reign of Severus. After him, Callistus took up the charge of the ministry, having served for years; and having lived for five years, he left the ministry to Urban. Regarding the parishes in Alexandria, Julian was entrusted with the episcopate, after Agrippinus had departed from this life in the twelfth year. ^C And when he also had completed a tenth year, Demetrius received the divine ministry of the parishes there. In Antioch, after Maximinus, who had been governor of the Church for eleven years, Serapion was created bishop, the eighth successor from the apostles. He presided over the Church for a sufficiently long time with praise, and left it to be governed by Asclepiades. During those same times in Jerusalem, in holy Sion, the still-admirable Narcissus was discharging the sacred office, holding the fifteenth place of succession from the second siege of that city which took place under Hadrian; from which time, after the bishops there from the circumcision, we have previously said that Marcus was the first to be appointed to rule the Church from the Gentiles. After him, ^D the successions of those there include: after him Publius; then Maximus; and after him Julian, whom Gaius succeeded; after him Symmachus, of whom another Gaius, then again another Julian; thereafter Capito, and after Valens, Dolichianus; and above all these, the renowned Narcissus was recognized as the thirtieth from the apostles by succession. At that time, Theophilus held the episcopal office in Caesarea of Palestine. In Greece, Bacchylus was bishop of Corinth, and in Ephesus, Polycrates, and

^A there were, as is likely, countless others besides these, while Commodus and Severus held the reins of the Roman Empire. And concerning these, enough.

Chapter 20. A catalog of the authors and leaders of the falsely named science who existed later: and which ecclesiastical men resisted them.

When the heresies that we mentioned a little before had been completely uprooted by the virtue and discourse of the aforementioned divine men, the sower of tares did not cease to sow other things in addition. And many shoots of those earlier ones still remained, hindering the pure sowing of Christ's field. Frequently, even these divided among themselves, splitting into different opinions. Many also suddenly emerged, taking their beginning as if from the start. Yet all of them drew the origins of their absurd knowledge from Simon, Saturninus, and Cerinthus. Artemon and Montanus were just then springing up; and like certain snakes breathing out destruction, after the manner of venomous reptiles, they crept through Phrygia in Asia. Marcion's sect, moreover, was divided and split. There were also others flourishing at Rome, namely Florinus and Blastus, who themselves introduced new opinions ^B about the true Word of truth. Florinus, indeed, because he had been deposed from the rank of the presbyterate of the Church; and Blastus, because of a not dissimilar fall. Each one of them, having privately established a workshop against true piety, drew many from the Church into his own error. Truly, the blessed Victor fought against Artemon and his successor, Theodotus the Byzantine, the currier, who greatly advanced his error. The book known as the *Little Labyrinth* also refutes their absurdity, which some suppose was composed by Origen; but the style and the form of the elocution refute them. ^C Furthermore, God brought against Montanus, as an impregnable bulwark, the bishop of the Church of Hierapolis, Apollinaris, a man outstanding, who to the knowledge of divine doctrine had added secular disciplines as well. Miltiades, Apollonius, and Serapion, the bishop of the Church of Antioch, and many others, wrote against this man as well; just as Gaius, whom we have also mentioned before, wrote against Proclus, the leader of the same heresy. But the wisest Rhodon resisted the opinion of Marcion and his division. Against Florinus and Blastus, who were the leaders of the schism and dissension at Rome, the oft-mentioned Irenaeus wrote exhortations, that they might leave off from vain and empty speeches and arguments, and cleave to the apostolic ^D traditions. Indeed, I think I shall do rightly if I expose the illegitimate and adulterine dogmas of these pernicious men, and as much as possible, oppose to them those illustrious men who, with valid and invincible arguments from the divine oracles, bravely refuted their superfluous and useless inanities and ravings.

CHAPTER XXI.

On Artemon and Theodotus the cobbler, who taught that Christ was a mere man, and how they were the first to begin corrupting the Scriptures: and on Anatolius the confessor.

^A Artemon therefore, who is also called Artemas, thought the same things as we do concerning the God of all, saying that He is the Maker and Creator of the universe; but he asserted that our Lord Jesus Christ was a mere man, born of a virgin, yet superior to the prophets in virtue. He insisted that the apostles had also preached these same things, falsely interpreting the meaning of the divine Scriptures. He claimed that those who came after them attributed divinity to Christ, whereas He was not God before that. A certain Byzantine cobbler, Theodotus by name, having become a disciple of his, became the leader of another sect, and devised many things much worse. He thought he was doing a remarkable thing in abrogating the authority of the divinely inspired Scriptures, and corrupting those which he himself received. Victor, bishop of Rome, resisted these men—who were, as it were, adulterating the doctrines of the faith—most generously, and excommunicated the cobbler from the church. The author who composed the little *Labyrinth* against them refutes these men, who assert that they received these things from the apostles and in succession, and that the truth had been maintained up to the times of Victor, who was the thirteenth bishop of the city of Rome after Peter, but that it was corrupted by his successor, Zephyrinus. He speaks verbatim as follows: ^B "The assertion might perhaps be plausible, were it not that, first of all, the divine Scriptures contradict them; and there are also writings of certain brothers, presbyters from the time before Victor, which they wrote in defense of the truth against the heresies of that time, I mean Justin, Miltiades, Tatian, Clement, and many others, in all of which Christ is spoken of as God. And as for the books of Irenaeus, Melito, and the rest, who is ignorant of the fact that they proclaim Christ to be both God and man? As many psalms and hymns as were written from the beginning by the faithful, praise Christ, the Word of God, ascribing divinity to Him. How, then, when the ecclesiastical opinion has been preached for so many years, is it possible that the times up to Victor preached it in the way these men say? And how are they not ashamed to speak these falsehoods against Victor, knowing well that Victor excommunicated Theodotus the cobbler, the leader and father of this God-denying apostasy after Artemon, who ^C was the first to say that Christ was a mere man? For if Victor thought as they do, according to what their blasphemy teaches, how could he have rejected Theodotus, the inventor of this heresy?" To this he further adds: "They have fearlessly and shamelessly adulterated the divine Scriptures; they have set aside the ancient canons of the faith; they have remained ignorant of Christ, not seeking what the divine Scriptures say. Perhaps Euclid and Galen are worshiped by them." And after a little: "For this reason they have laid their hands upon the divine Scriptures, saying that they correct

and amend them, and by this ^A crafty wickedness they have corrupted the simple power and meaning of the holy Scriptures, boasting that they are wiser than the Holy Spirit himself." He also records that they did not do this with one consent. For he says that Theodotus wrote one thing, Asclepiodotus another, and Hermophilus another, while Apollonides wrote still another. Moreover, each of these has published a revision of their own writings, and this indicates the discrepancy among the divergent and disagreeing copies. He reports that some of these men did not corrupt the Scriptures, but by entirely denying and abolishing the Law and the Prophets, through a wicked and utterly impious doctrine, under the pretext of grace, they have fallen into the depths of ^B perdition. The same writer who published the book against them also records something about them which it seemed right to insert into this present work. For he says that a certain Natalis, who had been one of the noble and intrepid confessors, was deceived by Asclepiodotus and by another Theodotus, a banker, who had both been disciples of Theodotus—who was the leader of their sect after Artemon—so that, for a fee, he might preside over their faction due to the reputation of his confession. They promised to provide him with one hundred and fifty denarii each month. So when he was with them, Christ, the true physician of souls, often standing by him in dreams, exhorted the man to separate himself from such error and deception. For He ^C did not at all wish that he, who had been a witness and martyr of His own sufferings, should perish by being separated from the Church, adding also that he had not struggled for their opinions, but for the evangelical dogmas. However, he did not comply with the vision, being captured by the honor which he believed he possessed because he presided over deceived and deluded men; and perhaps also, like a human being, he was hooked by the splendor of the gain. Therefore, the Savior, standing by him again at night, inflicted heavy blows upon him with scourges through the angels. Then at last, instructed by experience how great an evil it is to oppose God, having put on sackcloth and covered himself with ashes, he sped ^D as quickly as possible at dawn to the church; and casting himself at the feet of Zephyrinus, the presiding officer of the Roman Church, he begged that a prayer and entreaty be made on his behalf to the philanthropic God, publicly displaying to the crowd in the middle of the people the welts of the blows he had received. He, having pity on him as he was thus wailing and crying out, raised him up with his hand and quite easily received him into repentance, though he admitted him to communion only with difficulty.

CAPUT XXII. Of the heresy of Montanus, which heresy is named after the Phrygians.

Montanus, having sprung from a certain village named Ardaba, founded the heresy which is called after the Phrygians; and, stirred by a frenzy for rule and by an inflation of pride, he...

^A named himself the Paraclete and divine Spirit. He called two women, Priscilla and Maximilla, his wives, styling them his prophetesses and calling their writings prophetic books. Being full of an evil spirit—as were those two women—he began to say strange things, raving openly and acting with the intemperance of demons. But, so that that spurious spirit might appear trustworthy, he predicted and divined certain things through them, led by conjecture; he deceived many and turned them from the straight path, puffing those who were puffed up by him with a bloated magnitude of promises, and pronouncing them blessed who, however absurdly, thought magnificently of him. Yet there were not many among the Phrygians who were seduced by him. Moreover, that most impudent demon did not cease, with all shame cast aside, to slander the universal and whole Church which is under heaven.

This heresy having been noised abroad, the faithful in Asia met often and in many places throughout the region of Asia, examining these recent and novel discourses. Having therefore condemned the heresy as profane and abominable, they cast it out of the Catholic Church and repelled it from communion. ^B The same Montanus was also the author of new fasts beyond the custom of the Church, and he legislated for the dissolving and breaking up of marriages. Concerning the divine Trinity and the creation of the world, he taught the same things as we do. Nevertheless, some of his followers later opined that the three subsistences of the Godhead were one, saying that the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit are the same: whence they say that Sabellius the African took the principles of his heresy.

Those who followed the discipline of Montanus are called Montanists from him; they are also called the Cataphrygian heresy, after the nation itself; and Pepuzians from a certain village which he was accustomed to call Jerusalem. They prefer the prophecy of Priscilla and Maximilla in faith and veneration to the sacrosanct Gospel. Concerning some of their mysteries,55 some have broadcast not a few things which they do not acknowledge, affirming that these were slandered against them. ^C

Chapter XXIII.

Concerning Apollinaris the Hierapolite, and what he wrote against such a heresy.

Lucidly indeed, as we have related before, Apollinaris the Hierapolite wrote against this sect, showing at the very beginning of his writing that he had also contended against them with unwritten arguments and confutations. He wrote the book, moreover, to a certain Abercius, beginning the preface in this manner: “Most dear Abercius Marcellus, having been commanded by you to compose some discourse against the heresy of Alcibiades—or rather, perhaps one should say, of Montanus—I remained for some time deliberating and hesitating: ^D not indeed that I was unable to refute the falsehood and champion the truth; but fearing and being cautious, lest I should seem to some to be adding to or dictating over the word of the new

covenant—to which it is not permitted to add, nor to take away, for him who has chosen to walk according to the Gospel itself. Yet, having recently come to Ancyre in Galatia, and having found the church of that place being celebrated under the name of this new—not, as they say, prophecy, but rather, as will be shown, pseudo-prophecy—by the grace of the Lord assisting me, I disputed and reasoned for many days before the Church concerning these very matters and those things proposed by them; and the Church was rejoiced, while those who were from the opposition were refuted. ^A He signifies, moreover, that at the request of certain people there, he recorded the dialogue and discussion which occurred at that time, making mention of one Zoticus, an Ostrenian presbyter. Then, after a brief digression, he sets forth the matters concerning Montanus—who he was, from where he came, and what delirious nonsense he uttered—in much the same manner as we have written concerning him a little earlier. ^B And these things, indeed, in the first book, he discusses while proving the fraud and seduction of his error. In the second, however, concerning his death, he relates as follows: "But since they call us 'prophet-killers' because we have not received their long-winded and meandering prophecies (for they boast that they are the ones whom the Lord promised He would send to His people), let them answer us before God: Is there anyone, O best of men, among those who began to speak from Montanus and his women, who was persecuted by the Jews and killed by transgressors of the Law? Why, not one of them was ever seized, nor crucified for the Law itself, nor scourged in the synagogues of the Jews. But Montanus and Maximilla are said to have met a different death. For being driven by an insane spirit, ^C each of them hung himself separately, and in that way ended their life after the manner of Judas the traitor. Just as also the first defender of their prophecies, that admirable Theodorus, when he had commended himself to the spirit of seduction and yielded to its power, was tossed and carried up into the air, and falling back again, perished miserably." In the same book, he asserts that certain godly men made an attempt to refute the evil spirit in Maximilla and to convict it of vanity, but were hindered by others who served the demon. ^D Proceeding then, he shows from that very time that the prophecies of the same woman had been false: saying that thirteen years had passed, and nothing of the things which she had prophesied had come to pass. For there was no war, neither partial nor universal; but rather, there was peace and tranquility for the Christians by the mercy and grace of God. In the third book, furthermore, he refutes those who boast that there are many martyrs among them—which they used to say was a certain proof of the prophetic spirit among them. But this is, in fact, more than anything else, not true. For some of the other heresies also have as many martyrs as you please; and we shall not, I suppose, agree with them for that reason. And first, from the heresy of Marcion, the Marcionites...

^A are said to have many martyrs: yet they do not confess Christ himself according to the truth. » And a little later: « Hence it is that when those called to martyrdom from the Church happen to be with certain of the so-called martyrs of the Phrygian heresy, they differ from them, and without having communion with them, they meet their end, because they do not wish to assent to the spirit speaking through Montanus and his women. And that this is true, and happened in our own time at Apamea on the Meander, is evident from those who suffered martyrdom under Gaius and Alexander of Eumenia. »

CAPUT XXIV. What also Miltiades, an ecclesiastical man, wrote against it.

^A In the same work, he also makes mention of a certain writer, Miltiades, as one who also argued learnedly against this same heresy. And he cites certain statements of his in his writing, speaking as follows: « Having found these things in a certain work of the brother Miltiades, in which he asserts and proves that prophets ought not to speak in ecstasy and consternation, I abridged them. » Proceeding then in his discourse, he enumerates the prophets of the New Testament, among whom he also lists a certain Ammia and Quadratus. « Such a prophet, however, from among all of those who were moved by the Spirit in either the Old or the New Testament, they will not be able to point out; nor will they be able to boast that Agabus, or Judas, or Silas, or the daughters of Philip, or Ammia of Philadelphia, or Quadratus, or any others ^C who have nothing to do with them, pertain to them. » And a little later: « For if, as they boast, the women around Montanus succeeded to the prophetic gift after Quadratus and Ammia, let them show who else succeeded to it after Montanus and his wives. For the Apostle deems that the prophetic gift ought to be in every Church until the final coming of Christ. But they would not be able to show any; for it is now the fourteenth year since Maximilla died. » This, indeed, is what that writer says. This Miltiades, moreover, has left us other monuments of his zeal and diligence concerning sacred matters. For he composed one book against the Greeks, and another very learnedly against the Jews; and ^D he wrote also a third to the princes, setting forth a defense for the philosophy he had embraced.

CAPUT XXV. That Apollonius the Roman also fought against this same heresy.

For indeed, Apollonius, an ecclesiastical writer, also attacks the aforementioned heresy with discourses…

the heresy current at that time among the Phrygians, ^A refuting their false prophecies word for word, and likewise exposing the life and morals of the authors of this error, in the following words: “This is he who taught the dissolution of marriages; he who legislated fasts; he who named Pepuza and Tymium—small cities of Phrygia—Jerusalem, wishing to gather there from all sides those whom he had drawn to himself; he who appointed collectors of money; he who devised the extortion of gifts under the pretext and name of offerings; he who distributed salaries to those who preached his word, so that by providing for the belly, his doctrine might become stronger and be confirmed.” And this is what he says concerning Montanus. Now listen to what he also says concerning his prophetesses: “We have shown, then, that these very chief prophetesses, from the time they were filled with the spirit, forsook their husbands. How, then, can they lie so shamelessly by calling Prisca a virgin?” Then he also adds: “Does it not seem to you that all Scripture forbids prophets to receive gifts and money? When, therefore, I have seen this eminent prophetess accepting gold and silver and costly garments, how can I not detest and abhor her?” And a little later, ^B he says this concerning some of their confessors: “Furthermore, Theomison, wrapped in the filth of insatiable avarice, who, because he could not bear the sign of confession, purchased his bonds with a large sum of money, and for this reason, while he ought to have conducted himself with greater humility, boasted more gloriously as a martyr. He even dared, in imitation of the Apostle, to write a catholic epistle to the faithful at large, in which, if it pleases the gods, he instructs those who are better established in the faith than he is himself; and he defends the words of empty babblers, while simultaneously pouring out blasphemous and impious words against the Lord, the apostles, and the holy Church.” In addition to this, he refutes a certain martyr among them, Alexander, who, having been captured as an robber and released after invoking the Lord, lived familiarly in the same house with the prophetess and earned her a great deal of money: “Whose,” he says, “robberies and other daring crimes, for which he was tortured, there is no need for us to recount, since the public records and the court possess them. Which of them, therefore, will remit the sin to whom? Does the prophetess remit the robberies to the martyr, or the martyr the avaricious gains to the prophetess?” Again, concerning the prophets in whose name they please themselves ^C and boast, he introduces this: “But if they deny that their prophets accept gifts, let them confess this: that if they are convicted of having received such gifts, they are not prophets; and we shall prove this with countless examples. It is absolutely necessary, however, to examine and weigh every fruit of a prophet. Tell me, I pray, does a prophet use white lead? Is a prophet painted with stibium? Does a prophet adorn his appearance? Does a prophet play at tables and dice? Does a prophet lend money or study usury?” In addition to these points, the same Apollonius shows in his treatise that it was forty years since Montanus first undertook his feigned and demonic prophesying, at the time he wrote his work. He records also that Zoticus of Comana, of whom the historian before this made mention, also arrived while Maximilla was already attempting to prophesy, and tried to expose the demonic spirit. And so it was stopped. ^D

He also makes mention of a certain martyr, Thraseas. He says, furthermore, that he has received it from ancient tradition that Christ commanded his apostles not to depart from Jerusalem for twelve years. He also uses in many places testimonies taken from the Apocalypse of John, whom he also says raised a dead man at Ephesus. He writes, moreover, other things, unfolding the fraud and error of such a heresy. ^A

CHAPTER XXVI. That this same Apollonius suffered martyrdom in Rome.

This same Apollonius, famous in every kind of learning and wisdom, finished his course of martyrdom at Rome. For under Commodus, peace and tranquility were granted to our religion throughout the whole world, and the saving Word brought every soul from every class of men to the true worship of God; and at Rome even whole houses and families arrived together at a sincere faith. But how could he who is always plotting against beautiful and holy things bear this? Wherefore, having fraudulently devised many other things against us, he incited a certain wicked man, inclined to his own fraud, to drag Apollonius to the tribunal and to frame an accusation against him. That informer, moreover, because he had not brought the suit lawfully, by the sentence of Perennis, had his legs broken and paid the due penalty, according to a certain custom which had become established at Rome against those who brought such matters before the judges. ^B The martyr himself, however, when, the judge so ordaining, he had rendered a brilliant defense of the profession of his faith before the Roman Senate, and had presented it worthily for the sake of the faith, was removed from life by a capital sentence of the Senate. If anyone, therefore, wishes to know the matters concerning him more certainly and accurately, we exhort him to read his martyrdom, which has been committed to writing. ^C

CHAPTER XXVII. How Serapion, Bishop of Antioch, confuted those around Montanus, and regarding his books.

Regarding the writings that Apollinaris composed against the heresy of those who follow the Phrygians, Serapion also, whom we indicated to have been the successor of Maximinus in the bishopric at Antioch on the Orontes, makes mention in a certain epistle sent to Caricus and Pontius, writing as follows: “But that you may also know this, that the working of this false order, which is called the new prophecy, is detested by the entire brotherhood in the world, I have sent you the writings of the most blessed Claudius Apollinaris, Bishop of Hierapolis in Asia, ^D

^A In this same epistle of Serapion, there are also recorded notes of various bishops, among whom one signed himself in this manner: "Aurelius Cyrenius, martyr, I pray you fare well." Another in this way: "Aelius Publius Julius, bishop of the colony of Develtum in Thrace; the God who is in the heavens lives, that the blessed Sotas, who is at Anchialus, wished to cast out the demon from Priscilla, and the hypocrites would not allow it." And many other bishops, in number, attested these same things with their own hands by their signatures in the aforementioned letters. Such, then, is the state of the matter regarding Montanus and the heresy of the Phrygians.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Marcion the Pontic, of whom we have also made mention above, increased the impiety of Cerdo, and by the monstrosity of his words, he fashioned four unbegotten substances. Of these, he calls one good and unknown, and says it is the Father of Christ; but the second he calls just and the creator, yet he names him evil. Besides these, he asserts a matter that is evil, and which is subject to another evil. He says that the creator, having overcome the evil, took the matter and created all things. He relates that he created the heaven and other things by sifting them out from what was most pure; but from the coarser part he made paradise, and from its clod, Adam; and that he gave him a soul from his own substance, whence that perpetual battle between the body and the soul arises. ^B He even feigns that the serpent is better than the creator, and accords honor even to the serpent himself. He attacks the patriarchs and prophets with blasphemies and impious words. Of the Gospels, he accepts only that which is according to Luke, though he rejects the Genealogy. He accepts only nine of the Apostle’s Epistles, and of these he cuts out very many passages. He entirely rejects the Old Testament and the Prophets, as having been given by a foreign God. He trifles that Christ became a man only by phantasy and in appearance. He also removes the resurrection from life. The same man writes that Cain and the Sodomites attained salvation because they approached Christ in the underworld; but that Abel, Enoch, Noah, the patriarchs, prophets, and the rest of the just, because they did not approach him, remain in the underworld. ^C But he also raved about many other things against God in the madness of his mind, of which we have thought it right to pass over most in silence. However, his followers were later divided into many sects. For a certain Apelles added to his four unbegotten substances another, a fiery one. And in a book which he composed, he gave it the name "Philumene's Prophecy"; and he attributed to Christ a body not human, but one from the substance of the world that exists among them. ^D

^A

CHAPTER XXIX. Concerning Rhodon, what he wrote against Marcion: and concerning his other minor works.

Against these men, and their various sects, Rhodon, an Asian by birth—a student of the aforementioned Tatian—composed a book, both refuting their impiety and accurately recounting the authors of their dissension. "For this reason," he says, "they have become discordant even among themselves, holding to an opinion that can in no way stand or exist. For out of their company came Apelles, who, having gained a certain veneration by his very life and old age, confesses one principle; but he says that the prophecies come from an opposing spirit, persuaded by the sayings and responses of a maiden possessed by a demon, whose name was Philumena. ^B Others, just as Marcion himself, introduce two principles; from whom are Potinus and Basiliscus, who followed that Pontic wolf who, in naked words and without any demonstration or proof, laid down two principles. Syneros, however, introduced three." Rhodon also writes that he had a meeting and conversation with Apelles. For Apelles, being already of advanced age, when he joined himself to us, said many things incorrectly, and even asserted that all men who believe in the Crucified are saved, provided only that they be found examined and approved by good works. He then recounts his entire opinion and adds thus: "When I said to him, 'Whence have you this demonstration? or how can you affirm one principle? Tell us;' he replied, 'The prophecies refute themselves because they say nothing at all that is true. For they are discordant, false, and opposed to ^C themselves.' But as to how there is one principle, he said that he did not know, but was simply moved and led in that way. Then I made him take an oath to tell the truth. And he, having sworn, said that he was saying the truth: that he did not know how there is one unbegotten God, but that he nevertheless believed it to be so. I therefore laughed at him and condemned him, because, while claiming to be a teacher, he did not know how to confirm the doctrine taught by him." This same man, in the address he wrote to Callistio, signifies that he was a disciple of Tatian at Rome, to whom he records that a book was dedicated, in which he promised to clarify and expound the hidden and obscure passages of the divine Scriptures; and Rhodon himself, in a certain work of his own, promises that he will set forth the solutions to the problems and propositions of that book. ^D Various books of his are also in circulation concerning the Six Days of Creation. Apelles, moreover, whom we have mentioned, composed many things against the Mosaic law, placing much zeal into the effort to overturn it. These are the things Rhodon wrote against the division of the opinion of Marcion.

CHAPTER XXX

As for those who, around the time of Florinus and Blastus, had been separated into rival factions at Rome—men who, by some mischance, had fallen from the presbyterate, and who, through a spirit of emulation and jealousy, had become entangled in the errors of Marcion and were attempting to corrupt the ecclesiastical order—Irenæus, still living, sent two epistles: one addressed to Blastus, entitled *On Schism*, and the other to Florinus, entitled *On Monarchy, or that God is not the author of evils*, for he seemed to be a champion of such a view. ^B Being subsequently drawn into the heresy of Valentinus on account of the changing instability of his opinion, he provided Irenæus with the cause to compose another work, whose title is *On the Ogdoad, or the Octonary*, in which work he shows that he had reached the first succession of the apostles. At the end of that book, he adds an observation, which is certainly most learned, and which I have judged not untimely to record here. His words are these: "I adjure thee, who hast transcribed this book, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by His glorious appearing, in which He shall come to judge the living and the dead, that thou compare what thou hast transcribed, and that thou correct it according to this copy from which thou hast transcribed, carefully; and that thou shalt likewise transcribe this oath, and place it in the copy."

Nor have I set this down out of mere curiosity, but so that we might have those holy and diligent men as an example, of how great concern and foresight they took, lest the writings of the ancients be corrupted. In his letter to Florinus, he mentions his own association with Polycarp, writing to him in this manner: "These dogmas, Florinus, that I may speak sparingly and modestly, are not of a sound opinion. These dogmas are dissonant and diverse from the Church, casting those who follow them into the greatest impiety. These dogmas, not even the heretics who are outside the Church have ever dared to promulgate. These dogmas, the presbyters before us, who also walked with the apostles, did not deliver to thee. For I saw thee, when I was still a boy in lower Asia, with Polycarp, living in splendor at the imperial court and seeking to gain his favor. ^C For I remember those events better than the things which have happened recently. For the things learned from childhood, growing together with the soul, become one with it; so that I am able to speak of the place in which the blessed Polycarp sat and discoursed, and his goings out and his comings in, and the character of his life, and the appearance of his body, and the discourses which he held before the multitude, and the manner in which he related his intercourse with John and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord, and how he recited their words, and of the things of the Lord himself which he had heard from them, and of his virtues and...

^A of his powers; and concerning his doctrine: just as Polycarp had received it from those who had been eye-witnesses of the life of the Word, he related everything in accordance with the Scriptures. These things, even then, by the mercy of God vouchsafed to me, I listened to with eagerness, noting them down, not on paper, but in my heart; and by the grace of God I am always sincerely ruminating upon them in the depths of my soul. And I can testify before God that if that blessed and apostolic presbyter had heard any such thing, he would have cried out, and stopped his ears, and, as was his custom, would have exclaimed that frequently used expression: “O good God, to what times hast thou preserved me, that I should endure these things?” and he would have fled from that place where he was sitting or standing when he heard such a discourse. But also from his letters, which he sent either to the neighboring churches to confirm them, or to certain brethren to instruct and teach them, the purity of his doctrine can be gathered.” ^B Such are the things concerning those who fought against the Church at Rome and were separated from it.

CHAPTER XXXI. On Hippolytus, bishop of the city of Rome, and on his writings.

In the times of Severus, Hippolytus, the bishop of the Port of Rome, also flourished. And indeed, having written many wise commentaries, he also composed a work concerning the Pasch, in which, having set forth a record of the times and proposed a certain sixteen-year cycle concerning the Pasch, he traces the reckoning of time down to the first year of Alexander. The catalogue of his books is as follows: A book on the Hexaemeron; another on the things after the Hexaemeron; a refutatory work against Marcion; ^C Upon the Song of Songs; On parts of Ezekiel; On the Pasch; a work most useful against all heresies; On the coming of the Antichrist; On the resurrection; and many other things: On Zachariah; On the Psalms; On Isaiah; On Daniel; On the Apocalypse; On the Proverbs; On Saul and the Pythoness; On the praises of our Lord Jesus Christ, upon which he delivered a discourse in the presence of Origen. And although some of his writings are not free from reproach, yet having been perfected afterwards by martyrdom for the name of Christ, he wiped away and cleansed the stain of his error. From which they say Origen also took his beginning ^D for writing Commentaries on the sacred Scriptures. So much for Hippolytus.

Chapter 32. On Pantaenus the Alexandrian philosopher, an apostolic man, and his truly divine study of the sacred Scriptures.

Pantænus, renowned for his wisdom, under Commodus presided over the divine school at Alexandria, which had been flourishing there since ancient times with the study of sacred Letters; which indeed endured for very many times, with many being placed there...

^A in a spirit of emulation. Among those ancients, they say that this Pantaenus was especially famous, for he had transferred from the family of the Stoic philosophers to our own profession. He was, however, so zealous in propagating the divine word that he preached Christ even to the Eastern nations, and reached as far as the Indians. There were certainly, at that time, many men of most noble spirit who, with great praise, applied themselves to the sowing and amplifying of the divine and evangelical seed everywhere in the world. Among these was this man of ours, who did not shrink from even such a long and difficult journey as far as the Indians. He reports that the Gospel of Matthew was found there among certain believers, having been expressed in the Hebrew language by Bartholomew: this retained the original letter-forms of the one who wrote it first, preserved intact for a long time. He, illustrious for many noble deeds until the very end of his life, presided over the sacred Alexandrian school, and explained the Scriptures of the divine dogmas both by living voice and by learned ^B commentaries.

Chapter 33. On Clement the weaver, and his works: and what he said concerning the divine Scriptures.

At the same period of time, Clemens the presbyter, who was called "the Contextor"—or *Stromateus*—also applied himself to the same study at Alexandria alongside Pantaenus, following the same course in his manner of life and his habit of teaching. He certainly mentions Pantaenus as the father of his books in the *Adumbrations*—or *Hypotyposes*—as he calls them. And in the first book of the *Stromateis*—or *Contexts*—he seems to me to indicate this man obscurely, when he enumerates the illustrious successors of the apostles, writing as follows: ^C “As for the books which are written by me, they are not instituted for display, but are composed as monuments of memory for my old age, so that they may be a remedy for forgetfulness, and a manifest image and adumbration of that clear and living doctrine which, by the condescension of God, I heard and learned from those blessed and preeminent men: of whom one, indeed, was an Ionian in Greece, another in Magna Graecia, another again in Coelesyria, another truly in Egypt, and others elsewhere in the East; and there, one in Assyria, another a Jew in Palestine from his ancestors. Lastly, I came upon one who was prince of all the rest in power and virtue, in Egypt, and having found those things which had previously lain hidden, I ceased to search for more. For they indeed preserved the truth of the divine doctrine, and received the tradition straight from Peter and James and John and Paul, those holy apostles, as children ^D from fathers, by succession through hands; but few are like their fathers, and they have transmitted the same to us, God guiding them, depositing among us likewise the seeds of their own ancestors and of the apostles themselves.” Clemens succeeding Pantaenus directed the school, which even at that time Origenes, while still a boy, frequented. In the first volume of the *Stromateis*...

^A he brings his work down as far as the death of Commodus, writing as if it were a chronicle. There are eight books of the *Stromateis*: the same number is also held by those he calls *Hypotyposes*—a term he uses for his discourses. In that work, as has been said, he makes mention of his teacher Pantaenus, setting forth his explanations and traditions. To the Greeks he also wrote an exhortatory discourse; and three others which he names the *Paedagogus*. Another work also worthy of study, titled *Quis dives salvetur* (Who is the rich man that is saved?), is his; he also wrote a treatise on the Pasch, as well as homilies on fasting, and on slander; furthermore, a work exhorting to patience, and one for those newly illuminated. In addition to these, there is the work inscribed the *Ecclesiastical Canon*, which he published against those who Judaize, addressed to Alexander the bishop.

In the *Stromateis* he not only weaves together the contents of the divine Scriptures, but also sets forth whatever he finds to be of value among the Greeks. By explaining the dogmas of the Greeks and the Barbarians, as well as the opinions of the heresiarchs and philosophers of the falsely named knowledge, he provides instruction of every kind in a manifold array of learning. ^B For this reason, because of the variety of the material, they have deservedly obtained such a title. In these, he makes use of testimonies from the Ecclesiasticus of Sirach, and from the epistle of Barnabas and Clemens. He makes mention in these works of Tatian’s discourse to the Greeks, and of Cassianus, who also wrote of the chronologies and successions of time; likewise of Philo, Aristobulus, Josephus, Demetrius, and Eupolemus, being Jewish authors; from whom he provides proof that Moses is more ancient than all the antiquities of the Greeks. The man’s discourses are full of such great and useful learning. He shows, moreover, in the first book that he was very close to the apostolic succession. He also promises to leave behind commentaries on Genesis. He says, furthermore, in the book on the Pasch, that he was compelled by certain people to set forth there the histories and traditions he had happened to receive from the elders; naming Melito, Irenaeus, and certain others, whose sentiments he also presents as having been dictated to him.

The purpose of the *Hypotyposes* is, to speak briefly, to provide a concise account of all the canonical books of the Scriptures of the Testaments, not omitting even those Scriptures which are disputed, such as the Apocalypse of Peter and the epistle of Barnabas. He says that the epistle to the Hebrews is indeed Paul’s, having been written to the Hebrews in the Hebrew language; but that Luke, having splendidly translated it with ambitious language, had set it forth for the Greeks. ^C And he says, rightly, that Paul did not prefix his own name to the epistle, for this was his custom in other letters. For since the Jews of that time held him in suspicion because of a certain prejudice, he acted prudently in omitting his name, lest he should immediately deter their minds from reading it at the very outset. For this reason, he says, the style of the discourse is the same in the Epistle to the Hebrews as it is in the Acts of the Apostles. And elsewhere he writes: “Furthermore, as the blessed elder used to say, since the Lord, being the Apostle of the Almighty, was sent to the Hebrews, Paul, out of modesty, as one who was sent [as an apostle] to the Gentiles, did not inscribe himself as an apostle to the Hebrews, both out of respect for the Lord, and because, being an apostle and herald of the Gentiles, it was a work of supererogation for him to write to the Hebrews also.” Concerning the

order of the Gospels, as he had received it from the elders, he proceeds to say that those containing the genealogies were written first. That the Gospel according to Mark had the following economy: When Peter had preached the Gospel publicly ^A in Rome, those who were present, being many, exhorted Mark, as one who had followed him for a long time and remembered what had been said, to write it all down. And having done this, he gave it to those who had requested it. When Peter heard this later, he did not forbid it, nor did he encourage it. But John, coming last, and seeing that the bodily things had been set forth in the Gospels, and being moved by the divine Spirit, preached the spiritual [Gospel], and such as were theology’s perfection, and he composed his Gospel. So much for the account of Clement. ^B

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Still concerning Tertullian and Gaius, those ecclesiastical writers.

In the same year, the aforementioned Tertullian, a presbyter, is reckoned among the Romans after Victor and Apollonius. He was from Carthage in Africa, and his father was a proconsular centurion. This man, being very keen and of a very gifted nature, flourished especially under Severus, having composed many volumes of books. Concerning him, Paul, who is from Concordia in Italy, records in his writings that he had seen him when he was young in Rome, still a presbyter, a notary of the most blessed Cyprian, and had heard from him that ^C Cyprian hardly ever passed a day without reading Tertullian, as Cyprian would say continuously, “Give me the master,” meaning Tertullian. This man, having been a presbyter of the Catholic Church until middle age, and having written very many things against the doctrine of Montanus, later slipped into that man’s doctrine and again composed many books in its favor, in which he also makes mention of the “new prophecy.” On account of this very thing, he also wrote a book specifically against the Catholic Church. ^D Nevertheless, he also left behind another writing, *On Modesty*, and another, *On Monogamy*; and furthermore he wrote another *On Persecution* and *On Fasting*; and in addition six discourses *On Ecstasy*, and a seventh against Apollonius, and many other things, extending his life to extreme old age. Gaius himself also flourished under Zephyrinus, the bishop of Rome. Under Antoninus, the son of Severus, he composed a very great discourse against Proclus, a devotee of Montanus, refuting him for the rashness of the “new prophecy,” in which volume he numbers only thirteen Epistles of the divine Paul, testifying that the one to the Hebrews is not his genuine work; and he adds that even among the Romans, up to the present, it is not considered to be of the divine Paul. Let so much be said concerning these men.

Chapter XXXV.

The commentaries of many other ecclesiastical men, who in ancient times easily held the first rank, and who encompassed an outstanding example and zeal for the faith and the Christian life, are celebrated. Among them is he who flourished at that time along with the rest, Judas the historian, who expended much effort on the weeks of Daniel, and left behind as his own work a most excellent treatise. For, as if instituting a history, he brings the writing down to the tenth year of Severus; in that book he openly declares his opinion that he believed the much-talked-of coming of the Antichrist was in expectation during those times, and was drawing near. Indeed, the most severe persecution that was stirred up at that time excited this opinion and unsettled the minds of many, causing them to look for such a great event. ^B Heraclitus, a divine man, also composed not a few works, he who first thought to write commentaries on the Apostle. Maximus also provided irrefutable solutions and decisions regarding that question which is in the mouths of heretics, "Whence is evil and depravity?" and likewise concerning the fact that matter was created. But Candidus also, having labored on very many other things, was the first to write commentaries on the Hexaemeron; on which subject Appion likewise was engaged with great zeal. Sextus also proved the resurrection in his own writings with great praise; and Arabianus, moreover, applied much labor and effort to other certain sacred subjects. ^C Furthermore, very many and very great literary monuments of other writers have been published, whose times and subjects we have not thought it necessary to commemorate individually (for that is not entirely appropriate to our present undertaking and history). And those ecclesiastical writers before Origen, while they continued the holy history and doctrine in order by succession, also approached those who had induced themselves to pervert the right doctrine of the faith with trifles and ravings, and met them face to face, hurling as it were divine arrows; thus, God who provides for all things disposing it by His providence, so that after the apostles and their successors, things Christian were again confirmed by the blood of martyrs and by doctrine, and no less by the splendor of a holier life, and were established to the highest degree, so that they might be immovable and inexpugnable. Concerning these, enough.

Chapter XXXVI.

Indeed, toward the end of the reign of Commodus, no small question arose between the Eastern and Western churches. For the Asian churches, out of an ancient tradition which had been ^D transmitted to them up to that time, deemed it necessary to observe the fourteenth day of the moon, when it was the custom for the Jews also to slaughter the lamb according to the prescription of the law and to eat their own Pasch; just as if it were necessary, on whatever day of the week it might chance to fall,

^A that the fasts were at that time to be finished, and to speak generally, that they were to celebrate the mystery of our Pasch at the same time as the Jews. But all the other churches throughout the world maintained that it was not lawful to do so. Following ancient apostolic traditions, they maintained that the custom which had prevailed until then ought to be observed; for they argued that it was not fitting to celebrate the Pasch on any other day than the Lord’s day of the Resurrection, when the fast was to be broken. Because of this, a controversy and a very great dissension arose in the churches to such an extent that they began to take sides against one another, as each party contended that the tradition handed down from antiquity ought to be maintained; and ^B convocations of bishops were held in various places. When all had arrived at the same opinion, they later issued a written decree or edict to the churches everywhere, that the awesome mystery of the Resurrection and the Pasch should henceforth be celebrated on no other day than the Lord’s day, at which time the fast was to be broken. Letters are still circulated from the synods held at that time, which designate the bishops of the various churches from all sides: namely, Victor for the Roman church; Narcissus for the church in Jerusalem; Theophilus for the church in Caesarea of Palestine; Cassius for the church of the Tyrians; and Clarus for the church in Ptolemais. The same letters indicate that the most ancient Palmas then presided over the churches of Pontus; Irenaeus over the churches of Gaul and also Osrhoene; Bacchylus over the church of Corinth; and others from other provinces, all of whom by ^C one suffrage and sentence decreed that the Pasch was to be celebrated on the Lord's day. Narcissus, indeed, and Cassius, the Palestinians, and Clarus from Ptolemais, and those others who had gathered into the same synod, first set forth very many things concerning the tradition of the Pasch, which, having been received from the apostles in the beginning, they had preserved until their own times; and at the end of the synodical letter they added these things: “Try to send copies of this our letter to every church, so that we may not be held responsible for those who easily deceive their own souls. We inform you, moreover, that at Alexandria they celebrate the Pasch on the same day as do you; for letters regarding the matter are carried from us to them, and from them to us, so that we celebrate this holy day together with one consent.” ^D

Chapter XXXVII. On the dissension of the Asians regarding Easter: and what Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus, wrote to Victor, Bishop of Rome, concerning this matter.

Ad omnes igitur unum hoc præscriptum et regula est divulgata. Asiani autem sententiam adhuc suam retinebant, et se ad finem usque traditiones apostolicas defendere oportere opinabantur. Sententiæ eorum primarius potissimum propugnator Polycrates erat, qui urbis Ephesiorum

^A had taken up the helm. This man, therefore, since he was considered a great and apostolic man, declares the tradition and apostolic authority lasting until his own times to Victor, Bishop of the Church of Rome, writing thus: "We, for our part, observe this day untarnished and inviolate, neither adding nor taking away anything. For in Asia, great foundations ^B sleep and rest, which shall rise again on the day of the coming of our Lord, on which day He will come with glory from the heavens, and will awaken all the saints: namely, Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who fell asleep at Hierapolis; and his two daughters, virgins until decrepit old age; and his other daughter, who, having completed her course of life in the Holy Spirit, rests at Ephesus. Likewise also John, who reclined upon the breast of the Lord, and who, having been made a priest, wore the pontifical insignia, namely the petalon, both martyr and teacher, died at Ephesus. Furthermore, Polycarp, Bishop and martyr of Smyrna; and Thraseas, both Bishop and martyr, who came from Eumeneia, who fell asleep at Smyrna. But what need is there to speak of Sagaris, Bishop and martyr, who fell asleep at Laodicea? And furthermore, the blessed Papirius, and Melito the eunuch, who completed his whole course of life in the Holy Spirit, who lies at Sardis awaiting the visitation from the heavens, in which he shall rise from the dead? All these kept the fourteenth day of the Passover according to the Gospel, omitting nothing, but walking according to the rule of faith. But I also, your least ^C and of all, Polycrates, according to the tradition of my kinsmen, whom I have followed—for there were seven of my kinsmen who were bishops, I am the eighth—and my kinsmen always celebrated this day when the people of the Jews offered the leavened bread (that is, the leaven). I, I say, brothers, sixty-five years old in the Lord, and who have conferred with brothers throughout the world, and have read every holy Scripture, am not moved or disturbed by threats or terrors. For those who were far greater than I have said: 'It is necessary to obey God rather than men.'" In the end, however, he also mentions all the bishops who were present together and held the same opinion as he did, saying thus: "I could indeed have published the names of the bishops who are present with me, whom you ordered to be summoned by me, and I summoned them; whose names, if I were to write them, would be a great multitude. ^D But they, well aware of my insignificance, approved the letter with their own opinion, knowing that I do not carry my gray hairs in vain, but have always lived in Christ Jesus."

CHAPTER XXXVIII. How Victor was moved to separate the Asian cities from ecclesiastical unity on account of the feast of Easter.

^A Victor, upon receiving letters of this kind, immediately conceived the intention of rejecting the churches of Asia and those neighboring them, as if they were proponents of an alien and divergent doctrine, and of excluding them from the catholic unity. For this reason, he suddenly wrote letters in which he publicly censured them and at once prohibited them all from communion. Such was the plan he had adopted. However, it was not at all pleasing to the other bishops who were with him; they urged him, rather, to provide more benevolently, through peaceful counsel, for those who preached the doctrine of the faith, and not to cast off so easily, without testing the matter, the benefit of those near to him. ^B They advised that it could be corrected and perfected gradually, at some time, by teaching and in time. And they dealt even more sharply and severely with him, as he clung to his former opinion. Among them was Irenæus, as is apparent from the writing which he sent to Victor in the name of the churches in Gaul, over which he presided. For, while he himself asserts that the Pascha ought by all means to be celebrated on the Lord’s Day, he by no means permits Victor to separate such a great multitude of churches from the ecclesiastical unity, especially since they observe the tradition of an ancient and apostolic custom. Irenæus writes many things to Victor about peace and unity, as was fitting, and adds these things too; for it is worth the effort to set forth his words, as they are very useful and necessary for the Church, just as indeed I did in the case of Polycrates.

Chapter XXXIX. How Irenaeus, a lover of peace, restored tranquility and concord to the churches, commemorating the examples of the successors of the holy apostles.

He writes as follows: « For the controversy is not merely about the day, but also about the form of the fast. ^C For some think that they must fast for one day, others for two, and others for still more; some, however, measure their day by forty day and night hours. And this variety of practices did not arise in our time, but long before, among our ancestors, who, as was proper, transmitted the custom, observed accurately through simple sincerity, to those who came after them. ^D Nevertheless, all of them kept the peace, and we still keep the peace among ourselves, and the disagreement regarding the fast commends the consensus of the faith. » By these words he appends a history, which is certainly worthy of being inserted here also. « Indeed, the presbyters who were before Soter, and who governed the church which you now rule—I mean Anicetus, and Pius, and Hyginus, and Telesphorus, and Xystus—neither observed it themselves in that way, nor did they permit those who were with them to do so. But, nevertheless, those who did not observe it maintained peace with those who came to them from the churches which did observe it, and were in every way to the contrary in keeping it...

^A And never, because of this form, were some cast out; but those who did not observe it, the presbyters before you, sent the Eucharist to those from the parishes who did observe it. And when the blessed Polycarp visited Rome in the time of Anicetus, and they had a small disagreement with each other about other matters, they immediately made peace with each other about this head, not acting contentiously against one another. For neither was Anicetus able to persuade Polycarp not to observe it, since he had always observed it along with John the disciple of our Lord and the rest of the apostles with whom he lived; nor did Polycarp persuade Anicetus to observe it, who said that he must retain the custom of the presbyters who were before us. And with these things being so, they communed with one another. And in the church, Anicetus yielded the ministry of the Eucharist to Polycarp out of honor, clearly. And they parted ^B from each other in peace, with the whole Church keeping peace, both those who observed it and those who did not.

The end of the discussion regarding the Paschal question

[When] the five thousand seven hundred and first year from the creation of the world, and the one hundred and ninety-sixth from the divine nativity, had been completed. In the 2nd month, on the 25th day, Didius Julianus, [having reigned] for 2 months and 5 days, was put to death. And L. Septimius Severus led his forces against Pescennius Niger, who had been created emperor at Antioch by the Syrian army. This is noted for this reason: that the number and calculation of the years may be consistent for Nicephorus.

NICEPHORI CALLISTI XANTHOPULI ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, VOLUME V

^A

CHAPTER I. A succinct repetition of the things said before, and an exposition of what is to be told in this volume.

Come then, let us apply ourselves to adding what is lacking to what has already been said, so that our discourse may proceed in its proper sequence, and the whole body of sacred history may be woven together. The first book of this volume we have quite rightly and as was fitting dedicated to Christ, the head of all. The second we have similarly and deservedly consecrated to his followers, our sacred authors and leaders. The third fell to their immediate successors. In the fourth, moreover, we recalled those who, either by illustrious conflicts as martyrs or by learned writings as teachers, stormed the fortifications of error and the falsely named knowledge; and also those who were ecclesiastical writers, and what sorts of commentaries they left behind when they departed: then, too, what things were done and decreed concerning the question of Easter. ^B This fifth book, furthermore, will most fully explain the affairs of the most learned Origen, who was also called Adamantius: what labors he undertook for the sake of true piety; whence he came and who he was; and how, by contributing the greatest possible study to divine things, he incited many to undertake the conflict for Christ; and likewise how many lovers and studious followers of his twofold philosophy he possessed; and what he dared to do in himself, wishing to observe celibacy and virginity; and finally how, at last, having yielded to the seducing demon, he wandered from the straight path,

and fell away from sound doctrine. History will further embrace other matters: that grave persecution under Decius, the leaders of the sacred churches, and the strange and wonderful things that occurred among them. We must begin, however, as follows. ^A

CHAPTER II. On the persecution under Severus, in which Leonides, the father of Origen, suffered death for Christ.

While Commodus was administering the empire, Christian affairs were peaceful and tranquil. But after he was slain by treachery, and Pertinax ruled for a very short time, and Severus succeeded him (as we have said), our affairs were for a time in a sufficiently good state, and the profession of faith grew daily, being advanced by the writings and doctrines of the ecclesiastical teachers we have mentioned, and this was especially the case in the greatest cities—namely, Alexandria, and in the city built by Antiochus, and in all Aelia and Palestine, in Ephesus and Caesarea, and toward the west in Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth; in Gaul, and especially at Rome. For whole peoples and entire households were entering the faith, prepared to do and suffer anything rather than to act against or innovate upon our religion. When this seemed completely intolerable to Severus, he immediately stirred up a notable persecution against the whole Church. And suddenly, throughout the whole world, exceptional martyrdoms were instituted, most of all in Egypt, Libya, and the Thebaid. Alexandria, moreover, was established as if it were a stadium of true piety, where the bravest and best chosen martyrs, having encountered various and exquisite kinds of tortures and wonderful impressions, received from God, to whom they were dear, prizes and crowns. At this time, they say, Leonides, the father of Origen, also finished his life by martyrdom for the name of Christ, having been slain by the sword, leaving behind his son who was still a mere boy. As for how great a man Origen was, and with what zeal and purpose of mind he applied himself to the sacred Scriptures, I think it can be described without envy: not only because this man is famous among us, but also because he left behind him in his life, although its end was not entirely perfect, ^D immense fame and glory. But indeed, it would require singular leisure to commit his entire life to written memory. Yet we, cutting away most of the many things that have been handed down about him, will insert only some into this History, so that matters regarding such a great man may not be unknown to the studious: things which indeed seemed worthy in the judgment of many to be repeated even from the very cradle and handed down to memory.

Chapter 3. On the studies and exercises of Origen from boyhood, and how, while still an adolescent, he professed the word of truth, and how he prepared himself to undergo the struggle for Christ.

For immediately from the beginning, at a tender and precise age, he was imbued by his father with the divine Scriptures. To whom those first

^A efforts of his were not a secondary occupation; indeed, he regarded the study of these as a primary task, such that he was accustomed to be occupied with them even before his other lessons, being required to learn and recite by heart specific passages from them every day.

Nor was this something that the child did against his own inclination. He applied himself to these studies with an extraordinary fervor, even more than to the study of the Greek classics, to such an extent that he was not content merely to learn the sacred oracles, which are simple and not so difficult; rather, he would make use of his curiosity, attempting to search out their hidden depths, and constantly vexing his father by asking him what the words might signify. His father, for his part, was filled with admiration and was inwardly amazed, rejoicing that God had deemed him worthy to be the father of such a child. Yet privately ^B he would often feign a stricter reproach, warning him not to seek into things beyond his age and simple understanding; though in his astonishment, being struck by such deep wonder, he would confess to God, the giver of all good things, that he owed Him the greatest thanks. Often, he would stand over the boy while he slept, and with great reverence uncover his breast and kiss it, as if the divine Spirit were dwelling within him, believing himself blessed to have such a child. From this, the boy was provided with no small foundation for the faith and divine oracles, and thus was very becomingly brought up, having the same man as both father and teacher, and promising to accomplish great things as he showed by his actions.

These and other similar things are reported concerning the childhood of Origen.

When, however, the tenth year of the reign of Severus was ^C completed, and Lætus was prefect of Egypt and Alexandria, and Demetrius had newly succeeded Julian in the Alexandrian episcopate, the persecution of the churches was greatly fanned into a flame, and many, engaging in the contests with great courage, carried off their crowns. It is said that such a desire for martyrdom seized Origen, even though he was still at a very tender and youthful age, that he leaped for joy and, with an irresistible impulse, rushed to face the dangers for Christ. And he would have already ended his life by martyrdom, had not God, for another reason of Providence, for the sake of the benefit of many, set his mother as an obstacle to him. For she, entering his chamber, ^D pleaded with him, beseeching him to have some regard for her maternal affection for him, and not to abandon his mother thus and subject her to uncontrollable mourning and grief.

When his father was seized and cast into prison, his love grew even greater, and an even sharper passion for martyrdom flowed into him, inflaming and setting him on fire, as one might say, day by day. Seeing Origen thus animated, his mother hid all his clothes and compelled him, by necessity, to remain at home. Since he could do nothing else, he became a trainer and an exhorter of his father for the contest, and frequently wrote letters of encouragement to him, among other things using these words: "Stand firm, and do not let any other thought hinder you." This, they say, shall be the first and most clear proof of the...

^A genuine faith and disposition of his soul toward God, from the very starting-line, so to speak.

CHAPTER IV. Concerning his instruction and education, and those who utilized his habits and teaching. And how, at eighteen years of age, he became the leader of the school of the faithful in Alexandria, having suddenly become a youth of truly famous name.

His father, as we have said, having departed this life by martyrdom for Christ, and he himself having not yet quite reached his seventeenth year, while he was enduring hardship with his mother and his other six brothers, who were younger than he, and while his entire patrimony had been confiscated into the imperial treasury, he was living in great stress and lack of necessary things with his own family. Yet, with the Divine Power aiding him, he obtained incredible assistance. Indeed, a certain woman, who was distinguished by vast wealth and plenty, and who was otherwise famous in Alexandria, and who entertained a certain notorious man—an Antiochene by birth, and a leader among the Alexandrian heretics—adopted Origen into the place of a son. She held him in the highest regard and liberally and copiously supplied all things for his daily use and for all his own people. ^B Familiar, therefore, as he was with Paul—for this was the name of that woman’s husband—he never once swerved from his accustomed prayer, refusing to share prayers with Paul the heretic, and keeping the ecclesiastical ordinances with the greatest accuracy. Although a great many people frequently visited Paul, not only those who were of the superstition of the Greeks, but also our own people, Origen—having been imbued long since by his father with the disciplines of the Greeks—made even greater progress while spending time in Paul's school. Furthermore, he had an abundance of means for his maintenance from the discipline of those doctrines in which he [Paul] led.

After those, however, were expelled by the fear of persecution, and there was no interpreter of the sacred oracles in Alexandria, many from the nations (the Gentiles) came to Origen and professed the Word of God. Many of them also detested the rites of their fathers, and, partly to live familiarly with him, and partly to be always near him, they held this in greater esteem than all other things. ^C Of these, the first is recorded as Plutarch, who was famous both for the holiness of his life and for the crown of martyrdom. The second, after him, is recorded as Heraclas, who happened to be the brother of the aforementioned Plutarch. He gave such a manifestation of the study of true philosophy that later he was appointed as successor to Demetrius in the Alexandrian church.

Now, Origen was in his eighteenth year when he was placed over the catechetical school in the city of Alexandria. And when the persecution, surging greatly, became cruel there under the prefect Aquila, he acquired a great and famous name among those who are called by the name of Christ, because he would receive and embrace both those known to him and strangers with familiarity; and he would diligently visit those who were in chains, [strengthening them and manifesting] that alacrity of theirs ^D that had been practiced.

He would even lead those being led away to death, with boldness and much confidence, and kiss them. Thus, it often happened that the crowd of the pagans, seized by fury, would attempt to stone him; but, contrary to expectation, he was protected by the right hand of God from above, by whose help he escaped. Just as often on many other occasions, because of his supreme eagerness and boldness in teaching the divine word, he was preserved from snares. So great, moreover, was the agitation against the man that, with the pagan populace inciting it, a significant company of soldiers was stationed in the house where he dwelt, guarding the multitude of those who were being instructed by him in sacred disciplines. Finally, the persecution against him grew so strong that he would go about the whole city secretly, moving from house to house, for the sake of the multitude of those who, having been brought by his teaching, had approached the divine profession. Indeed, not ^B his words only, but his deeds also were the most certain proof of his truly genuine philosophy. For his life corresponded perfectly to his speech, and vice versa. Wherefore, with the divine power from above assisting him, he drew many to himself and had countless imitators.

CHAPTER V.

Indeed, when he saw that a very great number of disciples were flowing to him, he, having been entrusted by Demetrio with the office of catechist together with that school, judged—as was fitting—it to be absurd to commingle the education of profane letters with sacred doctrine; and he immediately put aside the study of external arts, ^C inasmuch as they could be of no great use, and were wont to introduce things contrary to the sacred oracles. Then, with a generous and manly, and—if I may say something more—a philosophical spirit, so that he might not appear to be in need of any external support, he offered for sale all the volumes of Greek books he possessed, which were composed with the greatest elegance and grace, and stipulated that four obols a day be paid to him by the purchaser. For a very long time he persevered in philosophizing in this manner, pushing far away from himself every cause and matter that could allure him to new and illicit things, and to indecent concupiscence. Therefore, having spent the day for the most part in ^D labors, he applied himself even at night to much toil, spending the greatest part of that time in the meditation of the divine Scriptures. And if he ever needed to taste of sleep, he would lie on the bare ground, not on a bed, using it most sparingly, for he was ever most constantly intent upon fasts and other philosophical exercises. As for the commands of the Savior, he deemed it necessary to observe those more than others which enjoin that one should not have two tunics, nor be shod with sandals, nor indeed spend time on the cares of the future. And as was his life, such also, it is said, was the speech he displayed.

It was in these things that he practiced rigid endurance, even beyond his years, and in these he demonstrated such readiness that, although he traveled through many lands for long periods, he never used sandals; he abstained entirely from wine and from all things except the necessary food, even to the point that he might have caused danger and destruction to his own body. Living in this way, and by his own example showing the best manner of life, he raised everyone to admiration of him. Those, however, who wished to give to him or to communicate with him, even his own associates, he avoided. ^A

CHAPTER VI. Those who, led and taught by him, were adorned with the crowns of martyrdom.

^B Truly, many of his followers, and even some from those who held adulterated doctrine, he excited to the same love of philosophy. In the deepest parts of their souls he sowed the divine word of faith so that it subsequently bore mature and abundant fruit, to such an extent that some of them, in times of persecution, were distinguished by the crowns of martyrdom. The first, whom we have already mentioned, was Plutarch; as he was being led to punishment, Origenes was very nearly killed by the citizens of that place, as one who was claimed to be the author of his death, ^C had not divine Providence (which directed all his affairs) once again kept him safe. The second martyr after him was Serenus, who, having gone forth from his school, openly exhibited the proven constancy of his faith in the fire. Heraclides then held the third place, being still instructed in the sacred doctrine, as he was a catechumen. The fourth was Heron, who still bore the symbols and signs of the divine light. Both of these were struck down by the sword. The fifth in order, an alumnus of that school, who shared the name of the former, was another Serenus, who, after very many trials of torture, by the severing of his head, received the divine crown of glory for the prize of true piety. The sixth, next, was Basilides, who, out of compassion, rescued the renowned Potamiana from the wanton injuries of many lewd men. ^D

Chapter VII. On his disciple Potamiana the martyr.

Among the women, the seventh is Rais, who was still being instructed in the faith and our sacred rites, and who, having received baptism (as he himself says somewhere) by fire, completed her martyrdom. The eighth, moreover, was Potamiana, whose reputation is still celebrated among her own people; for she underwent very many struggles against lovers to preserve her modesty and virginity (for there was added to the beauty of a flourishing soul in her also the beauty of form, and the vigor of her countenance, in the highest degree). Having shown, therefore, much nobility after unbearable

torments, she at last, along with her mother Marcella, was cast into the fire and met her death. It is said, however, that the judge Aquila, after having previously cruelly mangled her body with scourges and clubs, threatened to hand her over to wanton youths for their abuse. She, choosing to pause briefly to consider, gave a very noble and spirited response, so that it seemed even to the judge that she had uttered something impious. She immediately, by her words, accepted the sentence and was led away by Basilides to the place of execution. And as the crowd was ready to cast insults upon her and to mock her with wanton words, Basilides, moved by compassion and acting more humanely toward the martyr, kept back and drove away the throng of insulting men. She, being grateful for such care and duty, bade Basilides to be of good courage and of good cheer, for she was soon going to her Lord and would render him a grace worthy of what he had done. Having said these things, boiling pitch poured over her whole body brought her life to an end. Not much time passed after that, when an oath was required of Basilides by his fellow soldiers, for no mean reason that had preceded it. But he declared that it was absolutely not permitted for him to swear; for he was a Christian, and he openly confessed this to all. They, at first, thought he was joking and uttering these words to the contempt of our faith; but when he insisted persistently, he was brought before Aquila. When he openly confessed it, he was immediately cast into chains. When some of the brethren went to visit him and were in astonishment at such a sudden change, he related to them that Potamiena had appeared to him in a dream three days before, steadfast in a most joyful and noble state of mind and body, and placing a crown upon his head, said that she had made a petition to God on his behalf, and those prayers were not in vain, and that before long she would have him with her. And so the brethren bestowed upon him the seal of Christ, and on the day following he was struck with the sword and completed his martyrdom for Christ. Not only he, but many others were recorded to have passed over to Christ at Alexandria, in the aforementioned persecution, in the same manner as Basilides, when Potamiena appeared to them in their dreams and exhorted them to better things. And they, having been instructed in the faith at that time by Origen the catechist, thus attained the divine reward of immortality.

CHAPTER VIII. Origenem sustinuisse, ut seipsum castraret, ut scilicet coelibem peragere posset vitam.

When Origen Adamantius—for that is how he was dually named—was in this state, and while he was still presiding over the school of the faithful at Alexandria, a certain deed was ventured by him, [a deed] indeed of an imperfect and youthful mind, but one [undertaken] with the firmness of faith and chastity.

^A Since he was yet a young man and was preaching the saving word not only to men but also to women, wishing to cut off all calumny of foul suspicion, and having understood that saying of the Savior: *There are eunuchs who have eunuchized themselves for the sake of the kingdom of heaven*, more simply, and desiring to fulfill the command by deed as well, he castrated himself. He strove with the greatest care and diligence to conceal this act from those around him—which, however, was difficult to do, for the matter became known to very many. When Demetrius, the bishop of the diocese, also learned of it, he marvelled at the daring but, judging the fervor of his faith in this matter to be not worthy of censure, he bade him be of good courage and fear nothing on this account. At that time, indeed, the bishop was thus minded toward him; but as time went on, seeing the man celebrated and praised everywhere, he was led astray by a certain human passion and, writing to the bishops, he endeavored to suppress and obscure his reputation, setting forth the absurdity of such an act in his letters. But since the bishops of Palestine, those of Jerusalem and Caesarea, being more eminent than the rest in glory and dignity, had deemed Origen worthy of greater honor and for that reason had co-opted him into the order of presbyters by the laying on of hands, from that time his glory grew, and the name and praise of his virtue and wisdom became most prevalent among almost all men. Demetrius, having nothing to find fault with in such a great man, drew that which he had once done through the inexperience of youth into a grave calumny, and to some extent also censured those who had adorned him with the dignity of the presbyterate. ^B But Demetrius set about these things quite late; for he himself tirelessly communicated doctrine to all who came to him, bestowing all his time and study upon his disciples. Meanwhile, Severus, having administered the empire flagitiously for eighteen years, had his son Antoninus Caracalla as his successor.

CAPUT IX.

On the admirable miracles of Narcissus, Bishop of Jerusalem.

At that time Alexander, one of those who had endured very much for the sake of true piety during the persecution under Severus, being preserved by God, took up the stewardship of the Jerusalem church, while Narcissus, who had previously performed that office there, was still living. ^C Of this Narcissus, the people of that place recount many other wonderful works, and they also hand down this [story] which has been recorded in writing. For they say that on the evening of Pascha, the oil for the use of the lamps failed; and when the people were distressed by this, Narcissus commanded those who were ministers in these matters to draw water from a nearby well and bring it to him. When this was done, he prayed over it, blessed the water, and with a true and certain faith [ordered] that it be poured into the lamps.

And as they did his bidding, by divine power the water was immediately transformed into the nature of oil in both color and quality, providing the fire with a new and brighter radiance. From that time on, it was preserved by many as a miracle for a long while. Many other things worthy of memory are ^A bruited about concerning his manner of life, among which this remarkable story is included. Certain wicked men, who had spent their lives in all manner of debauchery and countless crimes, knew the constancy and severity of the man. Fearing his judgment, and lest they be caught in their foul deeds and pay the penalty they deserved, they devised a certain fraud, contriving a terrible slander against him. And to gain credibility with others, they attempted to seal their calumny with perjury, ^B binding themselves with curses should they be lying: the first, that he might be consumed by fire; the second, that he might perish by a fatal and loathsome disease; the third, that he might be deprived of his eyesight. And although they had thus woven their slander with the pretext of oaths and execrations, no one believed them, since the chastity and virtue of Narcissus were well known to all. But he, being unable to endure the wickedness of those men, and seeking to pursue a quiet, philosophical life, removed from business, deceived the multitude by a certain stratagem, fled, and for many years did not appear. And he lived in such a way, and then departed. But that great eye of justice did not delay in the least, but seized those pests and pernicious men with all speed, ^C and entangled them in the very evils to which they had bound themselves by their oath. The first, therefore, for almost no cause—a single spark leaping from a lamp—had his house ignited and was miserably, and beyond all expectation, burned to death along with all his kindred and all his substance. The second was seized by a most grievous disease that consumed his entire body. The third, moreover, when he saw the grave and harsh end of those men and considered the swiftness of the divine justice that oversees all things—which they had commonly conspired in through deceit and malice against the most excellent man—immediately confessed ^D his crime, and did not cease his mourning and weeping until, together with those tears, he felt the power and sight of his eyes flowing away. Thus did they pay the fitting price for their perjury.

Chapter 10. How Alexander, Bishop of Caesarea, was transferred by divine oracle to the bishopric of Jerusalem while his predecessor Narcissus was still living: and how two bishops ruled the church there at the same time, and on the writings of Alexander.

When Narcissus had indeed fled and remained for a long time in concealment, it seemed good to the leaders of the churches to ordain another bishop. Thus they placed a certain Dius over the Church of Jerusalem; and when he passed away not long after, Germanion was provided as his successor, and to him in turn succeeded a third, named Gordius. Under whom, suddenly in Jerusalem, as if from a certain resurrection, Narcissus was present, epi-

^A having appeared, as the brothers with the greatest insistence urged him to take up the oversight of the Church. He was all the more venerable on account of his withdrawal and philosophy, and many other good qualities, for which, even when absent, he had been deemed worthy of such vindication by God against those wicked men. But since, on account of his advanced age (for he had already lived for a hundred and six years), he was unable to perform his ministry, the divine providence and arrangement appointed to the Church of Jerusalem Alexander, whom we have mentioned, then bishop of another province, together with Narcissus, revealing everything to him by a vision at night. Performing this as if it were some divine oracle, he set out from Cappadocia, where he held the episcopate, and undertook the journey to Jerusalem for the sake of prayer and to learn of the events that had occurred there. The brothers there, however, moved by friendly and pious affection, did not allow Alexander to return home, on account of another revelation, clearly made to them by night, which also declared the same thing to all those who were eager there. For the vision said: Go out beyond the gates and receive him whom divine grace has sent to you as bishop. When this had taken place, it seemed good to the neighboring bishops who governed the surrounding churches that they should acquiesce in the appointment. Wherefore, compelling him to stay there, they laid upon him the necessity, with the consent of Narcissus himself. Of such a joint administration of the episcopate with Narcissus, Alexander himself also makes mention in an epistle written by himself to the Antinoites, ^C at the end of the letter speaking these words point by point: "Narcissus, who before me occupied the place of this episcopate, salutes you, and now, having reached a life of one hundred and sixteen years, joins with me in prayers, exhorting you together with me to be of one mind and to think the same thing." Alexander also makes mention of Asclepiades, who succeeded Serapion at Antioch, of whom we made mention a little earlier regarding the heresy of the Phrygians. His words are as follows: "Alexander, servant and prisoner of Jesus Christ, to the blessed Church of the Antiochenes, greeting in the Lord. The Lord has made my bonds light and easy during the time of my imprisonment, when I learned that the episcopate of your holy Antiochene Church had been entrusted, by divine providence, to Asclepiades, a man most suitable on account of his ^D outstanding faith." He indicates that he is sending this epistle through Clement, whom he also commends, in these words: "These letters, my lords and brothers, I have sent to you with Clement, the most blessed presbyter, a man endowed with virtuous and proven character, whom you know and will come to know even better; who, being here, through the providence and visitation of the Lord, has strengthened and increased the Church of God." The same man also makes mention of Clement and Pantaenus in a certain epistle to Origen as men familiar to him, saying: "For this is the will of God, as..."

thou knowest, that the friendship which has reached us from our forefathers might remain unimpaired, or rather be more fervent and secure; for we know those blessed fathers who have gone before us, with whom we shall be shortly; I mean Pantaenus, that man who was truly blessed and my master, and the holy Clement, who was my master and brought me much profit, and any other such person; by whom I have come to know thee, who art in everything the best, my master and brother." ^A He wrote also another epistle to the Antiochenes, and likewise one to Origen, and again another against Demetrius on behalf of Origen, because he had ordained him a presbyter when Demetrius had borne good testimony to him. And other epistles of his to various persons are circulated. In the seventh persecution under Decius, Alexander was again brought before the governor’s tribunal to plead his cause and stood in peril of judgment, being venerable for his grave and almost decrepit old age; he was led to Caesarea, where he was kept for some time in prison and carried off the crown of martyrdom.

CHAPTER XI.

On Origen’s progress in the sacred Scriptures, and on the six-fold translation of the Scriptures said to be his.

A desire seized Origen to see the city of the Romans while Zephyrinus was governing the Church there. ^B Having been there and stayed not long, he returned again to Alexandria and took charge of instruction as master of the catechumens, having been induced by the request of Demetrius to apply himself to the work with greater diligence. But when he noticed that he could not find the leisure he desired to search into and dig out the more abstruse sense of Scripture—because he was not allowed even to breathe more freely by those who frequented his school daily from sunrise until evening—he thought he must divide the great multitude. He used Heraclas, who was prominent among his students, as his fellow-worker in the instruction—a man most learned and one who had brought no small zeal to the study of philosophical disciplines and the knowledge of sacred Letters, and who was also brightly excelling in philosophy. And so he gave to him the introductory lessons for those who had recently attained the rudiments of the faith, while he kept for himself the instruction of those who were more advanced ^C and had already, as it were, habituated themselves to the divine doctrine. ^D To such extent did he carry on his accurate investigation and study of the sacred oracles that he even learned the Hebrew language and acquired the Hebrew books, which had been transcribed according to the original copies; he furthermore sought out all the different translations of those who had interpreted the sacred Scriptures after the Seventy, and, besides those which were in use—namely, the editions of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion—he found others, and brought them to light, having discovered them in certain secret and abstruse recesses of the earth where they had lain hidden for a very long time. By these means he also devised the study of what is called his Hexapla. What the power of these is, we shall know from this: for having gathered all the editions of the sacred Scripture that have ever been, first that of the Seventy, then those that came about after Christ—of which one was rendered into Greek by a Jewish man named Aquila, and after him Symmachus; and another by Theodotion, and still another, an anonymous one, have been published...

those who were wise in both systems of education, the Hebrew and the Greek. Of these, he says that he found the one at Nicopolis by Actium, and the other in a place of this same sort. In the Hexapla of the Psalms, he indicates that he set forth not only a fifth but also a sixth and seventh translation after the four ^A celebrated editions, which were found in a jar at Jericho during the times of Antoninus, son of Severus. He therefore set forth all such editions, or translations of the ancients, arranged one against the other; and by dividing them on each page along with the Hebrew notation, and from this means confirming the accurate sense of the Scripture and the disagreement or agreement of the translators, he has left us the copies of the Hexapla; having especially fashioned for his own use an edition of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, together with the Seventy, which he designated as the Tetrapla, or quadruple.

Chapter XII.

It is necessary to know, however, that the interpreter Symmachus ^B was of the sect of the Ebionites, which, as we explained above, introduced certain poor and beggarly opinions about Christ; for they maintained that Christ was a mere man, and had his beginning and origin from Joseph and Mary; and they insisted that the law ought to be observed in accordance with Jewish custom. Symmachus also published commentaries on the holy Gospel according to Matthew, from which he appears to build up and establish his own heresy. Origenes wrote that he received these commentaries of Symmachus, along with his version of the Scriptures, from a certain woman named Juliana, which woman had herself received those books from the author himself ^C and had kept them with her. Meanwhile, a certain Ambrosius, who was greatly infected with the heresy of Valentinus, having been convicted by Origen and his mind illuminated by the light of the truth, passed over to the sincere doctrine of the faith. But many others too, whose ears Origen had charmed with his discourse and doctrine, were coming to him from every side, so that they might make trial of his perfect doctrine. And among these, not a few also of the heretics, but for the most part also men of note and distinction, who had purely learned both kinds of philosophy, flocked to him with great zeal. And those whom he saw to be fit ^D for grasping philosophical disciplines, he led on to geometry, arithmetic, and the other liberal arts. Furthermore, he was even instructing them for the recognition of the sects of the philosophers, and explaining their dogmas to them.

^A And those, too, who were producing commentaries on every subject, so that he was considered a great man even among them. And if there were any who were a little more unrefined, he would teach them the cycle of arts, affirming that no small fitness for the preparation of the sacred sciences resulted from them. Hence he especially consigned himself, by necessity, to the practice of secular learning. And those of the philosophers who flourished alongside him at that time bear witness to this. It is he of whom the memory is much in the books of the man, sometimes addressing their own discourses to him, and other times referring them to his judgment.

CHAPTER XIII

And what need is there of others, when Porphyry, who came from Sicily and who exerted himself as much as possible against us, and who wished to refute and overturn the divine Scriptures as if they were of no account, making mention of those who had labored upon them and explained their deeper sense, since he had nothing to charge against our dogmas, turned to railing out of a lack of arguments, and heaped reproaches upon the interpreters? Among these, he catches sight of Origen in his tender youth and tries to besmear him with insults; yet he unwittingly provides him with support, at one moment relating the truth—where he could not speak otherwise—and at other times, where he thought he could remain hidden and deceive, very much lying. For he levels a charge against him as a Christian, but when he describes him living philosophically, he expresses admiration. The things, however, which he relates about him are more rightly understood from his own words: ^C « Some, hoping to find a solution—not an abrogation—for the flagitious impropriety of the Jewish Scriptures, applied themselves with great eagerness of spirit to expositions and interpretations, which are ill-coherent, inept, and in no way consistent with what is written, bringing not so much a defense of the foreign discipline as gain and praise to the authors themselves. For, boasting that the things clearly spoken by Moses are riddles, and treating them as oracles full of secret mysteries, they establish such interpretations, having bewitched the critical faculty of the soul through pride. » And a little later: « Let the example of this absurdity be taken from Origen (whom I encountered when I was still a very young man), a man of great glory at that time, as his name is even now great among those who teach such things, on account of the monuments of books he left behind. For when he was a student of Ammonius, who was in the greatest esteem in our time, he made very great progress in eloquence and all the sciences under him; ^D but as for the choice of a right life, he made the contrary path to his. For Ammonius, indeed, being a Christian and having been raised by Christian parents, when he touched upon wisdom and philosophy, immediately changed his *politeia* according to the laws; but Origen, having been educated among Greeks in Greek literature, slipped into the barbarian audacity, by which he brought himself and his learning in those subjects...

which he had acquired through more refined study, to a market: living indeed as a Christian, albeit unjustly and impiously, yet in the persuasion of his religion and in his studies and lucubrations he followed the Greeks, and subjected the dogmas of the Greeks to alien fables. For he was always occupied with Plato, Numenius, Cronius, Apollophanes, Longinus, Moderatus, and Nicomachus. He also devoted much effort to the books of those who excel among the Pythagoreans. He also made use of the books of Chæremon the Stoic and of Cornutus, from which he learned the custom of allegorically interpreting the mysteries of the Greeks, and adapted it to the Jewish Scriptures. ^B These things are related by Porphyry in the third of the books which he wrote against the Christians. In them, the things which he related concerning the man’s multifarious erudition are true; but he lies most openly in other matters. For what would he not have invented, in the manner of a slanderer, he who raved so against the Christians? Since he dares to assert that Origen had defected from the superstition of the Greeks, and that Ammonius, on the contrary, had passed over from the institution of true piety to an alien religion: when, in fact,, the Christian profession was strictly native to Origen, as we have related concerning him from the very beginning; and Ammonius, even to his final breath, steadfastly retained the persuasion of faith in Christ, just as his works, by which he achieved great praise and glory, ^C clearly testify, especially his commentary which is inscribed On the Consonance of Moses and Jesus, and subsequently others which of the same kind are preserved among scholars. And I have brought these things forward to this end, that I might at once refute the slander of the calumniator and show how great Origen was in external disciplines. On which account, because he occupied himself too much in those works and studies, being reproached by some, he used such words to them in a certain epistle: « After I had entirely devoted myself to the doctrine of the divine Scriptures, and the fame of my judgment and study grew, and consequently there came to me frequently now heretics and now students of Greek literature and philosophers above all; it seemed good to me to examine both the dogmas of the heretics and the opinions of the philosophers, who promise to set forth truths. In which matter we followed him who preceded us and afforded much utility to many, Pantænus, who was not a little instructed in profane arts; and him who is now in the order of the presbyters of Alexandria, Heraclas, whom I found laboring in such literature ^D at a teacher of philosophy, when indeed he had already been a follower of his philosophy for five years before I began to apply myself to such disciplines. For which reason, whereas he previously used common attire, putting that aside, he afterwards assumed the habit of a philosopher, which he wears even to this day, nor does he cease, according to his strength, to even now peruse the books of the gentiles. » These things Origen relates concerning his study of gentile disciplines.

CAPUT XIV. That Origen also came into Arabia; and that in Caesarea, not yet being a presbyter, he expounded the sacred Scriptures publicly in the church.

^A Furthermore, when letters came from Arabia, that he might share the doctrine of the Word with the governor of that region, he set out there for that very reason. But not having stayed there for a long time, he returned to Alexandria. And from there, departing again because of the war that had broken out, and suspecting Egypt as likewise dangerous on account of the peril of arms, he withdrew into Palestine. While he was residing in Caesarea, the bishops of Palestine, having also sent an embassy to him, permitted him to discourse on the sacred Letters and to interpret them publicly in the church, although he had not yet attained the honor of the presbyterate. This is proven by those writings which Demetrius, being ill-disposed toward Origen, as we mentioned a little while ago, sent to the bishops of Palestine; in which writings, among other things, there was this: That it was never heard, nor had it ever happened until now, that laymen should preach in the presence of bishops. ^B Therefore they, and most notably the prelates Alexander of Jerusalem and Theoctistus of Caesarea, wrote a defense of this matter to him, asserting that he was not speaking the truth: « For where, » they say, « suitable men are found who can benefit the brethren by their teaching, if they speak words to the people by the command and permission of the holy bishops, this is no scandal: just as at Laranda Evelpis by Neon, at Iconium Paulinus by Celsus, and at Synada Theodorus by Atticus, all invited by those blessed brethren, have done. And it is likely that this same thing has happened in other places, which we do not know. » Such was the honor in which Origen was held, not only among his own citizens and provincials, but also among foreign bishops. However, when Demetrius had written to him at some point, he returned to Alexandria and resumed his customary office and labor of teaching. But indeed, up to those times very many other men renowned for eloquence and doctrine flourished, whose writings and letters Eusebius Pamphili has consigned to memory as having been preserved in the library at Aelia until his own age; whence he says that the argument and material for composing ecclesiastical history was furnished to him. The same author reports that library to have been established by Alexander, who, together with Narcissus, administered the episcopal province there by divine response.

CAPUT XV. Of Beryllus of Bostra; of Ambrose, and what writings of the sacred Letters Origen expounded at Alexandria.

^D But truly, when very many were illustrious for the glory of eloquence and erudition, and were composing many monuments for the Church, in which they contended most strongly against the heresies: among whom was also Beryllus, the Arab of Bostra, who left behind him elegant and useful writings, and Hippolytus, bishop of Portus Romanus, and Caius, ecclesiastical writers, concerning whom the preceding...

^A mention has been made. Origen himself also applied his mind to the composition of expositions of Scripture, with a certain Ambrosius inciting him to that study and labor; for he indeed made use not only of verbal admonitions and exhortations, but he also liberally provided him with the necessary funds and suitable expenses. For he assigned to him seven shorthand writers, who, at certain appointed hours, would relieve one another in the work of writing. To these he added as many others, who were to copy out what he dictated in more beautiful characters onto books with accuracy. There were also present maidens well-trained in writing. To all of these, Ambrosius daily provided abundant expenses from his own means. And further, in many other ways, he zealously increased the man's eagerness for such study of divine letters, so that, being thus invited, he might apply himself more willingly and more prolixly to the edition of his commentaries. Moreover, I think it right to recount in the present place the records of his studies which he left behind. ^B At Alexandria, he is said to have written six books on the Gospel of John. In the whole of the Gospel, twenty-two books. But in the ninth book of those which he wrote on Genesis (and he edited twelve in all), he says that those which preceded the ninth were commented upon at Alexandria; as were the expositions on the first twenty-five Psalms. Furthermore, nine volumes on Lamentations, in which he makes mention of his two books on the resurrection. Likewise, he composed the books on First Principles before he moved to Alexandria, and those which he inscribed ^C *Stromateis*, or "Contexta" (which are ten in number), he also composed at Alexandria. But in the exposition of the first Psalm, he recounts the number of the sacred books of the Old Testament in these words:

CHAPTER XVI. How he himself made mention of the testament-bound or canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testament.

"It is very necessary to know that the testament-bound books, as the Hebrews have handed them down, are twenty-two, so that this number may correspond with the elements of their letters." Then he adds, saying, "But there are twenty-two books among the Hebrews, namely these: that which is inscribed among us *Genesis*, but among the Hebrews gets its title from the beginning of the book, *Beresith*, which is 'In the beginning'; *Exodus*, *Vellesemoth*, which is 'These names'; *Leviticus*, *Vaicra*, 'And he called'; *Numbers*, *Vaiedaber*, which is 'He spoke'; *Deuteronomy*, *Ellehaddebarim*, 'These are the words'; *Jesus son of Nave*, *Jehosua Ben Nun*, 'Jesus son of Nun'; *Judges*, *Ruth*, are concluded among them ^D into one book, *Josaphatim*; *Kings* first and second are among them one, and is called *Samuel*, which is 'called by God'; *Kings* third and fourth, in one book both, *Vammelech David*, or 'Kingdom of David'; *Paralipomena* first and second, in one, *Dabriaiamin*, which is 'Words of days'; *Ezra* first and second, into one *Esra*.

which is *Bones*: the book of Psalms, *Sphartelim*; the Proverbs of Solomon, *Mesloth*; Ecclesiastes, *Coheleth*; the Song of Songs—for it is not, as some suppose, "Songs of songs"—*Sirhasirim*; Isaiah, *Iezia*; Jeremiah, with the Lamentations and the Epistle, under the single name *Jeremiah*; Daniel, *Daniel*; Ezekiel, *Ezekiel*; Job, *Job*; Esther, *Esther*. ^A Beyond these are the books of the Maccabees, which are inscribed *Sarbeth Sabanaiel*. These things he sets forth in the aforementioned treatise; but in the first of his books on the Gospel according to Matthew, preserving the ecclesiastical canon, he testifies that he knows only four Gospels, writing in this manner: "As I have learned by tradition regarding the four Gospels, which alone are beyond dispute in the Church of God which is under heaven: that first was written by the one who was once a tax collector, and later an apostle of Jesus Christ, Matthew, delivered to the believers from the circumcision, composed in Hebrew characters; second, the one according to Mark, composed as Peter had directed him, whom he also acknowledges as his son in his Catholic Epistle, stating: *She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, salutes you, and so does Mark my son*; and third, that according to Luke, the Gospel praised by Paul, which he had ensured was written for those from the nations; last of all, the one according to John." ^B And in the fifth book of his Commentaries on the Gospel according to John, the same man says these things also concerning the Apostles' Epistles: "But Paul, who was judged worthy to become a minister of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit, who completed the course of the Gospel from Jerusalem and round about even unto Illyricum, did not write to all the churches he taught; and even those to which he did write, he sent but a few verses. Peter, upon whom Christ’s Church is built, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail, has left one acknowledged Epistle. Let there be a second also; it is, however, disputed. What must be said of John, who leaned back upon the breast of Jesus? Who, though he left but one Gospel, confessed that he was able to do so many things that the world itself could not contain them. ^C He also wrote the Apocalypse, being commanded to be silent and not to write the voices of the seven thunders. He has also left an Epistle of very few verses; be it that there is a second and a third also, since not all affirm these to be genuine; yet both do not exceed a hundred verses." Furthermore, regarding the Epistle to the Hebrews, in the homilies on the same, he discusses these things: "That the character of the diction of the Epistle inscribed to the Hebrews does not have the private style of the apostle, who confessed himself to be unrefined in speech, that is, in phrasing. But the Epistle is more elegant in the composition of its Greek phrasing. Every one who is able to discern differences in phrasing would acknowledge this. ^D Again, that the thoughts of the Epistle are admirable, and are not second to the apostolic writings which are acknowledged; and this

^A any person who has been attentive to the apostolic reading will not deny." Then he adds, saying: "I, for my part, in declaring my judgment, would say that the thoughts are the Apostle's, but the diction and the composition belong to someone who recorded from memory the things spoken by the Apostle, and who, as it were, wrote down as a commentary the things said by the master. If, therefore, any church holds this Epistle as being Paul's, let it be commended for this also. For not without cause have the ancients transmitted it as Paul's. But who wrote the Epistle, God knows the truth. But the history that has reached us is that some say that Clement, who became bishop of the Romans, wrote the Epistle; and some, that Luke, who wrote the Gospel and the Acts, wrote it." ^B These things he explained at Alexandria; but what he produced while staying in Palestine and elsewhere, we shall relate a little later.

CAPUT XVII. De Mammaea, mother of the Emperor Alexander.

After Antoninus, who presided over the Roman state for seven years and six months, Macrinus succeeded to the administration of it; and he, not having completed even a full year, was extinguished, and left the supreme power of the empire to another Antoninus for only four years. His successor was the Emperor Alexander. The mother of this Alexander, ^C Mammæa by name, stirred by the celebrity of the fame of Origen, desired to explore and to know at first hand the knowledge and prudence in divine matters for which he was praised by all (for she was pious in the worship of God, and in her morals, if any others were, she herself was also most chaste and modest). When she was at Antioch, she sent for the man to come to her there with an honorable military escort and retinue. He remained there for a considerable time. And when he had excited her, as was fitting, by his teaching to a love of the divine word and Christian discipline, and had shown her the grace granted to him by God in all things, he returned to the labor of his school to which he was accustomed.

CAPUT XVIII. How Origen was raised to the honor of the presbyterate in Palestine, and who were his successors in the Alexandrian school.

In the times of this emperor, certain ecclesiastical matters requiring urgency, Origen was to be sent into Greece; and he went by way of Palestine, and there he was honored with the ecclesiastical dignity of the presbyterate, by the laying on of hands of the bishops of that place, at the instance of Alexander, at Caesarea Philippi. ^D But as for the dissensions that arose on this account among the prelates of the churches, and how much effort and toil he himself, while still in the prime of life, devoted to the holy Scriptures—because these belong to a different history and study, we leave those things to be sought elsewhere.

Now, as Origen was departing from Alexandria for Palestine—it was then the twelfth year of the reign of the Emperor Alexander—he left Heraclas as his successor in the school where he had taught the divine word. He did not, however, preside over the instruction there for long. For shortly thereafter, Demetrius, the bishop of the Alexandrians, passed away after having fulfilled the duties of his ministry for forty-three years. Heraclas then took his place in the episcopate. Dionysius, who later succeeded Heraclas in the episcopal dignity, was at that time appointed as catechist of the sacred school in his stead, being the fifth in the line of succession from Pantaenus. For Pantaenus was the first, and after him came Clement the presbyter, the compiler of the *Stromata*; the third was Origen, the fourth Heraclas, and the fifth Dionysius; after him the sixth was Athenodorus, of whom we shall speak a little later. ^A

CHAPTER XIX

While Origen was in Palestine, he worked on his studies of Isaiah and Ezekiel. He completed his work on the third part of Isaiah—extending as far as the vision of the four-footed beasts in the wilderness—in thirty volumes; and on Ezekiel, in twenty-five. Furthermore, he progressed as far as the fifth commentary on the Song of Songs, which altogether number ten. And as our profession of faith was increasing and advancing, as was to be expected, and Origen had already passed his sixtieth year, having acquired the greatest and most ready learning from long meditation and practice, and having attained the height of power in teaching and discourse, he permitted rapid shorthand writers to take down the precepts and doctrines he brought forward in his public teaching—a thing he had not permitted before. ^B At that time he also wrote those eight noble books against Celsus the Epicurean, who had attacked the divine doctrines with great zeal. He also studied five other books on the Gospel according to Matthew, and many others on the twelve prophets. ^C There is also extant a letter of his to the Emperor Philip, and another one sent to Severa, his wife, and others to various persons. He also wrote to Fabian, the bishop of Rome, and to many other rulers and leaders of churches. All these documents testify to the orthodox faith. Under the persecution of Maximinus Caesar—for this man, because of his hatred for Alexander, who had preceded him, the emperor who had been very favorable to the Christians and had made his household almost entirely our own, stirred up trouble, and was particularly enraged against the leaders of the churches, as being the authors of the ^D

^A gospel doctrine, against whom alone he ordered the death penalty to be inflicted. At that time, therefore, he composed that excellent oration in which he exhorts them to martyrdom, and dedicated the composition to Ambrose and Protoctetus, presbyters of the church in Caesarea, for great anxiety and distress had fallen upon them because of the vehemence of that persecution. In that oration, both of them were provided with the explained arguments so that they might bravely sustain and endure the contest for Christ in the stadium of martyrdom. But what need is there to count the precise number of the writings of that man, since such a task requires its own leisure and labor? Eusebius of Pamphilus, in praising the martyr Pamphilus and celebrating his intense zeal for divine matters, writes that he listed both the books of Origen and those of other ecclesiastical writers that were stored in his library across six volumes, in which manuscript Eusebius also relates these things concerning his letters: “As many as we could gather, which had been preserved scattered here and there among various people, we have collected separately into tomes—to prevent them from being lost—numbering more than one hundred. You may also find the arguments of these in the sixth book of the Apology which we have written regarding that man.”

CAPUT XX.

Concerning his other disciples, and Gregory who was famous for performing miracles; and how highly Origen was esteemed by the great bishops of that time.

While teaching at Caesarea in Palestine, Origen had many disciples, not only of those who inhabited the neighboring regions but also of foreigners, who valued his learning and custom more than the sweetness of their own homelands. Among these, the more renowned were: ^C Theodorus, who fulfilled the priesthood in Palestine with great glory; and Athenodorus; and his brother Theodorus, who was also called Gregory, and was furthermore surnamed the Wonder-worker. We shall speak of him in his own place, for later he held the bishopric of Neocaesarea in Pontus. To these men, who were most studious of Greek and Latin disciplines and who expended all their effort upon them, when Origen had displayed the beauty and elegance of the true philosophy, he easily persuaded them that they should ^D follow it. He also explained the beauty of the true philosophy to those who were terribly entranced by the study of Greek and Roman disciplines and were expending all their labor on them.

^C When they had stayed with him for no more than five years, they progressed so much toward the better that, although they were still young in age, they were both entrusted with the care of the churches in Pontus. Along with these was also Dionysius, who succeeded not only to the catechetical school in Alexandria, but also to the episcopate of the church. Such was the charm with which Origen imparted his instructions, and so greatly did his fame attract everyone to behold his wisdom and knowledge; for not only those who were eager for secular learning frequented him, but even those who were already celebrated in those matters came to him. Indeed, that man Firmilian, bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, held such high regard for Origen that he would sometimes send messengers to him, through whom he would invite him to himself for the benefit of his own churches. But when Origen would repeatedly conjure up pretexts to delay, Firmilian himself set off for Judea, and having stayed with him for some time, he returned to his own people much more skilled in sacred literature than he had been before. But also Alexander of Jerusalem and Theoctistus, bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, were almost always with him there, treating him as their teacher, sensing in him something greater than human nature allows, and they publicly deferred to him in all matters that pertained to ecclesiastical doctrine or the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures.

Chapter 21. On the writer Julius Africanus, and his books.

History relates that Julius Africanus lived at the same time as Origen; he was a follower of his, and a diligent writer of annals, which he comprised in five books. In these, he writes that he was moved by the great fame of Heraclas to undertake a journey to Alexandria. This Africanus is also held to be the author of the books which are inscribed *Cesti*. He also sent a letter to Origen, in which he rejects the story of Susanna from Daniel, as if it were a spurious writing. Origen, writing back to him, shows that it is not illegitimate, but rather a genuine Scripture, which indeed brings a great deal of profit. There is also another letter of Africanus in circulation addressed to Aristides, concerning the discrepancy which seems to exist, yet does not exist, in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew and Luke; in it, he proves from a certain history which he had received from the ancients that the evangelists are in greater agreement with one another, and that there is no discrepancy between them. I have inserted this into this work of ours, in its proper place, in the first volume. Such, then, was the glory of Origen among all, and such was his zeal in sacred studies; and in this, too, it was a source of admiration for the bishops.

And what his fervor was toward those who introduced perverse and foreign dogmas, we shall henceforth clearly make known.

CHAPTER XXII.

Of the error and recovery of Beryllus.

Beryllus, whom we mentioned a little before as having been the bishop of the Bostrenians in Arabia, brought forward certain strange opinions, alien to the ecclesiastical canon. For he asserted that our Lord Jesus Christ did not possess a proper subsistence of his own essence before he came to us, nor did he possess a proper divinity; but that only the paternal subsistence and deity existed in him while he dwelt among us. ^B Regarding this new and malignant dogma, many of the shepherds of the churches engaged in conferences with the man, and endeavored to turn him away from so impious an opinion. But he, having once conceived it, pertinaciously retained his view. However, after he had been urged by many, the most famous Origen came to him, and first having engaged in conversation with him, he inquired what dogmas he held and what he taught. When he had sufficiently understood the whole matter, he convicted him by firm and irrefutable arguments of not thinking correctly; and, with difficulty, having finally persuaded him with certain demonstrations, dealing with him gradually and humanely, he led him back to the sincere doctrine of the truth and restored him to his former state of sound opinion. The records of the synod of bishops gathered on account of Beryllus were preserved for a long time, and they contain in order the questions of the man himself and of Origen, and the latter’s solutions. These, then, are the things concerning the recovery of Beryllus. ^C

CHAPTER XXIII.

Of the heresy which arose in Arabia of those who assert that souls are mortal.

At that same time, others also appeared in Arabia who troubled the Church with adulterous opinions, supposing that the soul of man dies and perishes together with the body at the present time, and that at some future time, at the resurrection, it will live again together with its body, and from that point on will be preserved for immortality. Since they were boasting of these things through empty talk, assemblies of bishops were held; in which, since they could achieve nothing, Origen was summoned. And he, without any delay, was present. And when words had been exchanged on both sides and the question had been proposed in the midst, that man discoursed in such a way, and brought forward such arguments from the Scriptures in that assembly, that his adversaries had nothing left thereafter to bring against him. ^D And so they were immediately converted, in such a way that they condemned their own error and demanded of themselves their own penances.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Of the heresy of the Helcesaites.

After these, another heresy, far more pernicious than those previously mentioned, arose from a certain author, Helcesaeus, which at first is

extinguished, Origen having suddenly overwhelmed it, when it was emerging into the open, with the floods of scriptural waters drawn from the torrents of the Scriptures. For these Helcesaites, having gathered fables from here and there, have composed a monstrous error for themselves. And indeed, concerning the principle of all things, they are in agreement with us: for they too assert that the Creator of all things is one; but they do not admit that Christ is one, but many and diverse. And they say that one is above and another below: ^A whom they claim to have inhabited many bodies before, and then afterwards to have inhabited Jesus, the son of Mary. As for Jesus, they sometimes say he is from God, and sometimes that he had a virgin for a mother; but in some cases they do not even say this. And when it comes to the Spirit, they believe that he also undergoes transmigration, enters into different bodies, and at each time is exhibited otherwise. They use the incantations and invocations of demons, and likewise baptisms under a profession of faith in the elements. ^B They embrace astrology and mathematical error, calling themselves prognosticators and seers. They entirely reject the holy Apostle and his writings; and, having concocted a certain book, they boastingly claim that it fell from heaven; and that whoever is deemed worthy to hear it obtains a different remission of sins than that which Christ bestowed. Against this man, Alcibiades of Apamea in Syria struggled much. Origen, however, took the lead in refuting it. Origen, while speaking to the people in a sermon about this heresy, makes mention of it in the eighty-second Psalm in these words: ^C "There has arrived at this time a man, arrogant and puffed up, who propagates a shameful and impious opinion, which is called that of the Helcesaites, recently introduced into the churches. I have thought it necessary to set forth for you what destructive things that opinion teaches, lest any of you be led astray or be induced to reject anything. It uses the authorities of all the ancient and evangelical Scripture. It reduces the Apostle to nothing, and thus completely abolishes him. It also teaches that it is free and permissible to deny the faith: for one who holds the faith firmly conceived in his soul may, if compelled by necessity, renounce it with his mouth, but not in his heart. And they carry around a certain book, which they say fell from heaven; ^D and they affirm that he who hears it and believes in it obtains a remission of sins different from that which Christ Jesus instituted." Thus far concerning these things. But countless other things worthy of memory are related about Origen, which, as they do not belong to the present undertaking, the narrative hastens to pass over. Whatever, therefore, I deemed necessary and relevant to the present study, I have, quite correctly I think, collected and arranged. One thing remains to be said about Origen: that through the envy of him who is the author of all evils, a man of such stature, who excelled both in words and deeds and in precise philosophy, was nonetheless led astray; and, having been entangled in distorted doctrines, he corrupted both his present and future reputation. But not yet; for the catalogue of those

^A who headed the empire and the greatest churches, I shall first write down; then I shall append the perverse nature of his doctrines and his impious death. At the same time, I shall also provide, as best I can, a conclusion to these five holy books of mine. Now, however, I will speak of the empires.

CHAPTER XXV. A catalogue of the Roman emperors, and how they succeeded one another in order; and how Philip was the first of the emperors to become a Christian.

Antoninus, the son of Severus, who ruled for eighteen years, succeeded him. After him, Macrinus took command for seven years and six months. But when Macrinus died before ^B a full year of his reign had been completed, the other Antoninus, nicknamed Heliogabalus, obtained the throne, which he administered for four years, before passing it to Alexander, the son of Mammaea—a woman whom we have previously remarked was deeply devoted to religion and divine piety. Alexander spent thirteen years in power, and in his stead Maximinus Caesar succeeded. We have recorded that, out of hatred for Alexander, because there were many believers in his household, he ordered only the leaders of the churches to be slaughtered. After Maximinus, who held the empire for three years, ^C Gordian became emperor. He did not administer the commonwealth for a full six years before Philip, together with his son Philip, was substituted in his place. They say that he was the first among the emperors to approach the faith of Christ; and that on the final night-vigil of Pascha, he desired to participate in the remaining prayers of the church. However, he was not permitted to enter the assembly of the faithful by the intercession and objection of the bishop who then presided over the church, until he had made confession and had been numbered among the penitents, who, separated by their order and station, were tested by a strict discipline; ^D for the bishop said that it was not otherwise lawful, unless he had done this, on account of his many offenses, to become a participant in the festive assembly with the multitude of the church. They report that he obeyed him, genuinely demonstrating by his actions the fear of the divine power and the due religion. Philip, who reigned for seven years, was succeeded by Decius, the persecutor of Christ. And he, having spent two years at the height of power, left the reins of the state to Gallus, who held them for a year and eight months.

CHAPTER XXVI. Those who flourished in the priesthood of the great cities at that time.

Those who presided over the churches under these emperors were as follows. In Rome, during the reign of Alexander, Urbanus was the Roman prelate. Soon also the emperors Maximus, Pupienus, and Balbinus were chosen, but were slaughtered in a military tumult, and Gordian the Younger ruled alone.

^A To Pontianus, who had ministered to the Church there for eight years, succeeded Anteros. He, having functioned rite in the episcopate for six years under Gordian, had Anteros as his successor. When he died after one month in the episcopal office, the sacred administration was divinely conferred upon Fabian, whom they say came to Rome from the countryside after the death of Anteros and had been staying there with others. When all the bishops and brethren in Rome had assembled in the church to create a bishop, and were casting their votes among many illustrious and distinguished men—men whom public opinion deemed fit to receive this dignity—Fabian was also present. And although it occurred to none of the bishops to think of him, suddenly a dove, flying down from somewhere, ^B settled upon his head, signaling him and signifying that the Spirit, accustomed to appearing in the form of a dove—just as it once provided sure testimony to the Savior, drawing the heavenly voice over the Word Himself—rested upon him. The whole people, delighted by this marvelous event, with the same alacrity and with one voice acclaimed him worthy and suitable, and immediately placed him on the episcopal throne. And he, having adorned his spiritual head with the crown of martyrdom during the persecution under Decius, transmitted the episcopate to his successor Cornelius.

At Alexandria, while Alexander son of Mammaea was reigning, Demetrius, who had sacredly presided over the parishes there after Julian for forty-three years, left the throne to Heraclas, the philosopher and first of Origen’s students. ^C And when this man had departed this life after his thirteenth year of episcopacy, the great Dionysius ascended to the ecclesiastical offices of Alexandria, while Gordian was reigning. Furthermore, at Antioch, under the rule of Alexander, Philetus succeeded Asclepiades in the episcopal function; of whom Zebenus was subsequently successor. But when the latter also passed away under Gordian, the holy martyr Babylas took up the reins of the Church there; who, after having courageously undergone his confession under Decius, died in bonds, and left the Church to be governed by Fabius. ^D Moreover, at Jerusalem, after that celebrated Narcissus—or rather together with Narcissus (with Dio, Germanion, and Gordius intervening)—Alexander functioned in the pastoral office in the Church, of whom we spoke much in earlier passages. He admitted Origen into the order of presbyters by the laying on of hands. And because he had previously, in the former persecutions, courageously and with praise made his confession for Christ, he, after the episcopal dignity which he discharged at Jerusalem, being already venerable with much and almost decrepit old age, was again dragged before the tribunals at Caesarea when Decius was raging greatly against the faithful; he served as a witness for Christ and stood out clearly, and died in prison. At which time also Babylas, for the struggle for Christ, bore [his fate] at

Nicomedia. This Babylas is a different person from the one who, in Antioch under Numerian, made a beautiful confession. After Alexander, Mazabanes was bishop in Jerusalem, and a long time after him succeeded Hymenæus, who is reported to have presided over the Church for many years. These are the matters concerning the succession of both profane and sacred authority of those times; but let us now return to our history.

Chapter XXVII.

Decius, having been elevated to the imperial dignity, on account of his hatred for Philip, who had embraced Christianity, ^B raised a most severe persecution against the Christians. In it, many indeed undertook the holy struggle for Christ, yet especially the leaders of the churches, and whoever excelled others among us in eloquence and wisdom, these, suffering unspeakable and cruel tortures, departed this life. Hence it was that in Rome Fabian, in Palestine in Jerusalem Alexander, and in Antioch Babylas—to whose episcopate Fabius was successor—having fought the good fight, dyed their priestly robes in deep red. Added to these was the renowned-for-wisdom Cyprian at Carthage; who once had occupied himself with magic books. ^C When, however, he had directed his heart through love toward Justina, a girl excelling in beauty of form, and had entrusted his desire to a certain carnal and lustful demon, industrious in reconciling illicit loves, he could not, however, enjoy desired loves, because the girl had consecrated her virginity to God beforehand, and was then, as was fitting, defending her chastity with fastings, prayers, and other weapons of faith. He acknowledged and made known his own error, and the long-standing fraud and seduction, the magic books having been cast into the fire; and being most beautifully betrothed to Christ through that virgin, and having embraced the sacred rites of the Christians, he was soon co-opted into the order of presbyters as keeper of the temple, and at length was made overseer of the sacred rites for all Africa. ^D In that function, by his exhortatory sermons and writings, he confirmed very many to bear the struggle for Christ bravely; and in the end he himself also, together with that admirable Justina, in the Decian persecution, having first been tested by many tortures, dignified his episcopal office with capital punishment. At which time also the martyr Christophorus, and the youths in Ephesus, and others almost innumerable, having performed struggles for Christ, became known with great praise.

Chapter XXVIII.

During the tempest of the same persecution, when in Alexandria the raging against Christians was also at its height, the overseer of the Church there, Dionys-

^Aius, whom we have said was advanced to the episcopal office after Heraclas, was shown by God, through a superior providence, to be above the machinations and attempts of the persecutors, for the sake of the utility and edification of many. For in the first place, those who had been sent to search for him were struck with blindness, and although he was at home and awaiting their arrival, they were nevertheless frustrated in their zeal and effort. But afterwards, when he had offered himself of his own accord to those who were carrying away everything in his house as plunder—since someone had reported what had happened to the brethren who were keeping watch all night at a wedding—they all immediately rose up at once with one impulse, and running with speed, they shouted with one voice. ^B There, having put the guards to flight, they forced Dionysius, who was lying in a linen garment upon a bare bed, to arise and follow them with all haste. He, however, falling at their feet, besought them either to depart and leave him there, or to suffer the soldiers who had taken him captive to take his head. But they, though he prayed and adjured them much, would not even hear him, but dragged him by his hands and feet, and placed him upon a bare ass like a pack-load, and brought him back to the episcopal house. And such were the things that happened concerning Dionysius. Afterwards, the impious soldiers, having gone into the houses of the aforementioned Christians, rushed in with great violence, and plundered all their precious and set-aside belongings; as for those things that were cheap and not easily grasped or carried, they broke them and departed. And the freedom of these actions resembled ^C the state of a city captured by enemies. Everywhere there was mourning, everywhere plunder, as the soldiers contended with one another in their savagery over the spoils and loot. No path, no street, no alley offered a way out. Neither by day nor by night did the evil cease. Heralds went about the entire city, shouting with great voices; and the decree being proclaimed was: that if anyone did not denounce Christ with the most wretched and profane words, he should be dragged away wherever he might be found, and, having been shamefully driven about, should finally be consumed by fire.

CHAPTER XXIX. Concerning those who, overcome by torments under Decius, abjured the religion of Christ.

and stable, and who bore Christ entirely within their breasts, being strengthened by Him, and having attained the strength worthy of an unassailable faith and constancy, showed themselves to be renowned and illustrious witnesses and martyrs of His kingdom. But in truth, to recount in the present time all those who then finished their lives in martyrdom for Christ, and to set forth the time, place, and manner of such notable struggles, is as impossible as it is to number the sand by the sea. Therefore, we shall rightly record in this place only a few of the struggles of the martyrs, for the sake of remembrance, which we have received as handed down to us by our elders: these, perhaps, will not attain to the same faith and reputation in the Church as tradition has conferred upon them. And we shall do this briefly and concisely. But as for those which escaped our memory, we leave them to be known and glorified by the abyss of divine knowledge, just as He wills. For our part, having commemorated as many as is moderate of such struggles, we shall proceed to what follows. ^A Some were men who had made Christ their total habitation.

CHAPTER XXX

But first of all, let there be set forth in our account that admirable elder Metras, whom those wild and most cruel beasts seized, and sought to compel him to say things that would leave nothing out in the way of insolence, insult, and blasphemy against Christ. Since he would in no way be obedient, they struck his entire body mercilessly with clubs, lacerated his face with sharp reeds, and gouged out his eyes, tearing his inner frame; ^C in the end, as if abandoning their cruelty, they overwhelmed him with a great heap of stones. And as for Quinta, a certain woman, having brought her to the idol, they ordered her to perform the act of worship to it. Because she refused to do this, they tied ropes to her feet, and dragged her through the midst of Alexandria. Afterwards, they dragged her over harder and steeper places, and finally led her to the same place where they had a little before brought Metras, and there, just as they had him, they adorned her with the crown of martyrdom by stoning her. After her, the admirable and ever-virgin Apollonia, a woman of advanced age, was brought in, having been kept as food for the beasts. Since she had lost both her jaws and all her teeth from the blows of the stones, and because she absolutely refused to sacrifice at the altar, she leapt with great alacrity into the vast pyre which had been prepared by them for the idols, considering it to be far preferable that, in this way, she herself be offered as a victim to God. To these was added Serapion, an Ephesian by birth: after they had broken all his limbs with the intense force of lashes and had wrenched the joints of his body from their natural sockets, they afterwards cast him headlong from a higher place and killed him. Then also Julian, a man so infirm in his feet that he was unable either to walk or to move himself, was brought by two others, who held him up raised; of whom one

^A straightway desponded at such great inhumanity of evils, abjured the faith, and was set free; but the other, whose name was Ischyrion and whose surname was Eunus—truly proving those appellations by his deeds—strongly resisting the persecutors, as one prepared to die six hundred times rather than relinquish anything of the good profession, along with Julian, who was in the same cause, were placed high upon camels and thus led through the midst of the city, and scourged, until, with the populace insulting them most ferociously, they were cast into the fire and consumed. But also Besas, a hoplomach there, that is, an armed soldier, a glorious victor through the aid of Christ, having shown himself a proven warrior in the profession of true piety, underwent the resection of his head. And Macarius, who possessed a name true to himself, born in Libya, when many incentives to denial were offered him, since he remained unyielding, was burned alive by fire. Moreover, Epimachus and Alexander, after they had endured prison, chains, and, besides these, iron razors, were at last cast into burning lime and were most grievously consumed. ^B

CHAPTER XXXI. Of other martyrs who finished their contest in Alexandria and in Palestine.

Women also were not absent from that beautiful contest; they, having a masculine spirit, fought most bravely. Of these the first was Ammonaria; for she was led away, constantly keeping her promise, replying that she would do nothing of what the judge, contending with her by various kinds of torments and striving to overcome her, had ordered. After her, that admirable woman, Mercuria, and Dionysia, a mother of many children, but more importantly a lover of God, since the inquisitor himself was already ashamed that he was being overcome by the constancy of women in his immense butcheries, were slain by the sword. ^C Then Heron, and Aster, and Isidorus, and Dioscorus, who had not yet completed his fifteenth year—all Egyptians—were brought forth; the others were consumed by fire, but the judge dismissed the youth, having conceived an absurd opinion concerning him, thinking that he was not yet sufficiently firm, not yet a man, and not fit for fraud and seduction, and saying that he would allow the delay and time to complete what was lacking in his age. Him followed Nemesion, who was also an Egyptian, and who had been brought up among robbers, on which account he had been dragged into court; but after he had spoken in his own defense and cleared himself of that crime, he was subsequently detained in chains as a Christian. The most iniquitous inquisitor, raging even more against him than against the others, burned the martyr in the midst of the robbers with fire. Then a company of soldiers succeeded: namely, Amon, Zeno, Ptolemy, Ingenuus, and a certain man of advanced age, Theophilus, who appeared before the tribunal; and seeing the struggle of the martyrs who were competing, if they saw anyone inclined toward denial, they showed their indignation, gnashed their teeth, and at one time would make signs to them, ^D and at another time would extend their hands

^A and incline their bodies toward various gestures as their own will prompted. When those who stood by—whom secretly they rejoiced to see crowning themselves for a noble triumph—caught them in the very act, they were immediately dragged to the tribunal of the inquisitor; where they professed Christianity with such confidence that the prefect himself and his assessors were vehemently disturbed and seized with incredible fear, while the others, on the contrary, were filled with fortitude of spirit, and exulted with a joy greater than can be explained by words, and in such a magnificent triumph of victory received their crowns.

No less, meanwhile, in the villages and country houses, were many badly treated by the infidels. Among these was that Ischyrion, to whom the management of a house had been entrusted by a certain famous man of that place. His master ordered him to sacrifice at the altar of the gods. And when he refused, he was first assailed with insults, and then also with reproaches. But when Ischyrion still persisted in his resolve, the master seized a large club and killed him by piercing through his inner organs and bowels. But what need is there to recount the multitude of those who, wandering in solitary places and mountains, perished, partly from hunger, partly from thirst, others caught by sharper cold or disease, and some even suppressed by robbers or torn apart by beasts? Those who survived their number remain credible witnesses; of whom I think it necessary to set forth one example at least.

There was Chæremon, bishop of the city which is called Nilus, a man to be venerated for his great old age. He, together with his wife, having fled to the mountain which is called the Arabic, never returned from there, nor could anyone see them thereafter. Nor indeed has it been known to anyone since where their bodies might have ended up. Moreover, many others in that same Arabic mountain were captured by the barbarians who inhabit it, and were either ransomed by their money or perished miserably there because of a lack of funds. And these adversities indeed occurred at Alexandria and in Egypt. But there were no fewer struggles and contests in Palestine. Thus, many martyrs everywhere, through the hortatory discourses of Origen, manfully endured their agonies.

CHAPTER XXXII.

And he, indeed, had made very many martyrs; but when Satan hostilely waged war against him with all his forces, and drew out every mechanism and power against him, and pressed upon him more sharply and more insidiously than upon anyone else, he was stripped of perfect and absolute virtue; for he had fallen away from submission and humility, the parent of all virtues, and from the immovable and upright constitution of mind and the state of passionlessness that comes through it. ^D For they say that during the Decian persecution he also was seized and bound in chains. First, therefore, he was afflicted with grave torments throughout his whole body, and then soon after was lowered into a most bitter prison. There, an iron instrument of great weight constrained him, and furthermore, the punishment of fire was threatened against him; and other evils were partly being inflicted upon him even then, and partly were threatening him a little later, and for many days his feet were stretched on a four-holed wooden rack.

^A He bore it with a noble and strong spirit, and indeed he was prepared to face death. But it seemed otherwise to the investigator in his contentious cruelty: he sought to lead the man away from his conviction and his desire. He did not wish to punish him with the sword, but decided to deprive him of life little by little through other afflictions. Finally, when he realized that he could not overcome him with torments, he turned his mind to a completely diabolical plan. For since he knew the man’s philosophical soul and purity, he decided to attack him through these very things. Therefore, he released him from his bonds, but led him to an altar where he had placed an obscene and lewd Ethiopian, and ordered Origen to sacrifice and to cast incense upon the altar. He threatened that if he did not bring his mind to do this, by that detestable and utterly execrable act, his body would be defiled by that lewd person. He indeed threatened these things against him. But Origen, by the option and choice of the worse thing, preferred to abjure the faith—with his soul being defiled beyond all benefit—rather than to receive some filth upon his body. ^B And thence, having fallen away from divine judgment and grace, at the instigation of Satan, he introduced alien opinions, through which he led many away from the sound doctrine, and a long time later he was excommunicated from the Church of Christ. "What kind of expressions," says Eusebius, "he left behind after these things, and those many, to those who were in need of help and usefulness for their reception into grace, his very many epistles testify, embracing the truth itself with sufficient certainty. But I will not do so reluctantly, and I will set down his words, by which he is manifestly proven not to have persisted in the apostolic boundaries and constitutions. And so, that I may omit his other absurd opinions and blasphemies, I shall mention only these in his own words. For he writes as follows:"

CHAPTER XXXIII. Concerning the errors and blasphemies of Origen, and how he ended his life under Gallus.

is to remain unshaken and unmoved by divine love and contemplation; he who has also become Christ, and King, and man. And that there will be a complete destruction of bodies, since the Lord himself will first put aside his own body, and so too will all the rest. And that all things are to be brought back again into that same unity, and become minds, just as they were in their pre-existence; with the devil himself, of course, and the rest of the demons, restored to that same unity; as also the impious and godless men, along with the divine and God-bearing men, and the heavenly powers, having the same union with God as Christ possesses, just as they also pre-existed; so that there is no difference at all for Christ with regard to rational beings, neither in essence, nor in knowledge, nor in power. » But so much for these things. ^B Decius, having reigned for two years, and having gone out against the Scythians who had crossed the Ister and were ravaging Roman affairs, first slew over thirty thousand of them. Joining battle with them a second time, he was defeated; and he himself was slain in the battle, as was his son. The empire then passed to Gallus and Volusianus. Now Gallus, not having learned from the calamity of Decius, nor having observed for what reason he had fallen into such slaughter, stumbled against the same stone. For while his empire was proceeding well, and all things were turning out according to his wishes, he drove away the holy men who were interceding with God for his peace and health. Consequently, in those men he also persecuted the vows and the prayers that were being offered on his own behalf. ^C Accordingly, they, having lived for one year and four months, departed this life. Aemilianus, succeeding them, reigned for four months, and, dying, transmitted the sum of affairs to Valerian and Gallienus. While Gallus was reigning after Decius, Origen, having completed sixty-nine years, died miserably, the wretch having torn his soul away. At this point it is necessary for us to put an end to the present history; having imparted to it a good beginning from Origen, even if the end did not correspond to the beginning. This tome embraces for us a period of sixty-two years, having begun from the first year of Severus, and having concluded up to the very beginning of the reign of Valerian and Gallienus.

[alt-version omitted]

^D He did not heed Solomon saying: «My son, beware of composing many books, that you may not hasten with your mouth; let not your heart be quick to utter speech before God. For God is in heaven above, and you upon the earth below. Therefore, let your words be few. For many words multiply vanity. Be not righteous overmuch, and do not be wiser than is necessary. For the righteous man perishes in his own justification.» Furthermore, proscribed by the Church, and not bearing the insult, he left Alexandria and departed into Judea. And when he had arrived at Jerusalem, being requested by the priestly order to speak in the church (for he was a presbyter), and then even compelled, he arose, and recited only those words: «But unto the wicked God said, What do you have to do to declare my statutes, and take my covenant into your mouth?» And having closed the book, he sat down with tears and much wailing, all weeping along with him. He was buried at Tyre. Suid.

at which time the year of the world was 5763, and from the divine birth of our Lord, the 258th year was drawing to a close.

NICEPHORUS CALLISTUS XANTHOPULUS ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY VOLUME VI

CAPUT I.

The fifth book, having embraced the affairs of Origen and other matters that occurred in his time, also came to its end along with his death. The sixth book, however, which we now have in hand, will have as its subject the great bishop of Alexandria, Dionysius, through the writings which he left behind, which provide ample material in his own words. We shall set forth in it what was done in the Church after the persecutions of Severus, Maximinus, and Decius. From this point also, Novatus emerged and proclaimed himself the leader of the new heresy of the Cathari, or "Purists." Furthermore, we shall relate how he was rejected, and how those ^B who had lapsed during the persecution were instead received back into the Church. Also, we shall speak of the divine laver which some introduced after the persecution, and of other heresies. We shall also cover the acts of the tyrants in Egypt and Palestine that occurred subsequently. We shall make mention of certain prodigies; and likewise of the epistles of Dionysius: in addition to these, [we shall treat of] Nepos, Paul of Samosata, and the perverse error of the Manichaeans. Finally, we shall recount the lives of the godly men who shone ^C in that age, up to the time of Diocletian and Maximian, who indeed attacked the churches most bitterly. I shall begin from this point.

CHAPTER II.

^A In the persecutions which we have recounted, many Christians fought bravely against their enemies through martyrdom and secured the due prize of victory. Yet very many, because of the weakness of their souls, went out to meet those dangers, but when they proved unable to endure them, at once sacrificed to idols and abjured the worship of true piety. However, when the tumult and affliction of the persecution had subsided and they contemplated the misery and calamity into which they had fallen in their own minds, a heavy and violent grief and repentance came upon them. They betook themselves, therefore, to the leaders of the churches of that time, declaring that they wished to repent and were ready to do whatever they were bidden to perform. These men, therefore, imitating the loving-kindness of God, received and embraced them with sincere affection; ^B they called them to account in proportion to their repentance, and in the fitting time, through prayer alone with the laying on of hands, they allowed them to take their place once more among the faithful. This was a custom that had long remained in the Church, but Cyprian, the shepherd of the Carthaginians, was the first who thought it should be changed, and judged that those who had fallen were not to be received otherwise than by the laver, and that those who returned from any heresy whatsoever were to be admitted in the same way. The bishops of the churches, however, acted in this manner and daily received with joy all those who returned openly.

CHAPTER III.

^C Now, at that time there was in Rome a presbyter named Novatus. This man, puffed up with pride and vain boasting, had, as the proverb says, moved every stone to obtain the government of the Roman Church. When, however, he had tried all things and achieved nothing—for he was seized with immense arrogance, ambition, and greed for glory—he fell into despair. At length, having nothing else to do, he tore himself away from the Church, began to assemble his own congregations, and sought to innovate a new heresy, pretending that his excuse for the secession was that the bishops received those who had sacrificed to the gods during the Decian persecution back into grace through worthy repentance. In a short time, having deceived many, he formed a council under himself and became the leader of those who are called Cathari, or "the pure," on account of their filth. ^D Since it was necessary for him to share in the priesthood, which he had long desired for himself…

^A he brought in from Italy three bishops of obscure name, who were altogether simple and lived in rustic manners; and the pretext was plausible, as he said, so that by acting as mediators they might dissolve the long-standing enmities between him and the bishops. And they came in the simplicity of their minds, suspecting none of the deceit that was being planned. Being shut in, some of his gang, intoxicated by drunkenness and surfeiting, forced them and, by an imaginary imposition of hands, compelled them to confer the episcopal dignity upon him. They, however, even if quite against their will and led by force and necessity, did so. And Novatus usurped the honor which he had obtained so wickedly, as it seemed, and prepared to defend himself against his detractors; a man in whom Satan, having taken up residence, used the name and faith of Christ as a pretext, at least. For when he was being instructed in the faith by the exorcists, he fell into a severe illness: and when he was already in expectation of death, he requested water, and being poured upon in the very bed where he lay, he was, so to speak, baptized: if indeed it is lawful to call a sprinkling of this kind a baptism. But he was not thereafter deemed worthy ^B of the remaining symbols and ceremonies of the Church, which those who are baptized in such a manner are accustomed to receive according to the sanction of the Church; nor, when he had recovered, did he receive the seal from the bishop. Furthermore, since he did not obtain these mystical symbols, how did he obtain the Holy Spirit? But also in the time of persecution, seized by cowardice, he abjured the honor of the presbyter. For when he was asked by the deacons, as is fitting for a priest to assist brothers who are in the greatest need of help in the time of persecution and in the crisis of torments, he was so far from obeying that he departed in great indignation, and was unwilling to be a presbyter henceforth, having turned to another kind of philosophy of his own. And he also performed another thing that was altogether discordant. For when he was offering oblations, as is the custom for priests to do, and then came to the distribution of the bread, giving each person their portion, he forced the miserable people, instead of receiving it with thanksgiving, to swear; for grasping both the hands of the receiver, ^C he did not release them before they had sworn—for I shall use his own words: "Swear to me by the blood and body of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you will never leave me and return to Cornelius"—for he was the bishop of Rome. And those wretched people did not taste what they had received before they had sworn to him; and instead of saying "Amen," they said that they would not return to him. These things and the malice of the heresy, Maximus the presbyter and Urbanus, who had twice confessed Christ and had reaped no small glory from their confession, and furthermore Sidonius and Celerinus, who had also run the same race, being the first to detect him, were the first to come forward and set Him up as a triumph in the midst of the Church. But of those who ordained him, it was not long before… ^D

he returned to the Church; for having abolished by his penitence and lamentation the accusation against him, he was indeed received back, but only as a layman was this lot granted to him, and others were put in the place of their bishops.

CHAPTER IV. How Dionysius persuaded them to receive the fallen, and his epistle to Novatus.

As this heresy spread far and wide, there was a great tumult; and many, by means of discourses, and many in other ways, attempted to overthrow the foundations of this error. Let us hear, therefore, the kind of things that Dionysius, the bishop of Alexandria, wrote. ^B "The holy martyrs themselves, who are now assessors with Christ, participants in His kingdom, partners of His judgment, and judges together with Him, received some of our brothers who had fallen and were liable to the charge of having offered sacrifice; and seeing their repentance and conversion—which were capable of being accepted by Him who does not wish for the death of the sinner at all—they tested their repentance, received them, gathered them in, and held communion with them in prayers and in the banquets of love. What, then, brothers, do you advise us to do regarding these? What must we do? Shall we become of the same mind and judgment as they, and preserve their judgment and grace? Shall we treat kindly those to whom mercy was shown by them? Or shall we declare their judgment to be unjust? Shall we set ourselves up as judges of their opinion? Shall we grieve kindness? Shall we destroy order? Shall we provoke God to anger?" These were the words of Dionysius concerning those who had weakened during the persecution.

But it is also right to set forth what he wrote to Novatus himself, who was disturbing the Church in Rome. For since Novatus had accused some of the brothers, under the pretext of a schism, as if he had been forced by them to come to this state of mind, see in what manner he wrote to him: ^D "Dionysius to Novatus, brother, greetings: If you were led against your will, as you claim, you will show it if you depart of your own free will. For it was necessary to suffer anything whatsoever, in order not to rend the Church of God; and it was not a less glorious martyrdom to suffer for the sake of not rending the Church than for the sake of not committing idolatry—in my opinion, it is even greater. For there, one bears witness for the sake of one's own soul alone, whereas here, one bears witness for the sake of the whole Church. And now, if you would persuade or compel the brothers to come to harmony, your achievement will be greater than your offense; and the latter will not be held against you, while the former will be commended. But if you are unable to persuade those who are disobedient, save your own soul."

CAPUT V. On the synods held in Rome and in Africa which condemned the heresy of Novatus.

^A Novatus, lifted up by the pride of his soul, openly and impudently preaching with great license, maintained that there was no hope of salvation for those who had fallen during the time of persecution, even if they had completed all that pertains to a genuine conversion and confession. Nor was the multitude limited to those he seduced; many prominent men followed his error: men who, puffed up in their minds, called themselves "Cathars" (the Pure), and were basely led like an army by Novatus, their commander and chief instigator of demonic war. ^B Seeing the plague spreading in this way, the leaders of the churches—and especially Cornelius of Rome and Cyprian of Carthage in Africa (for he had not yet been crowned with his divine martyrdom)—convened a very great synod at Rome, and Cyprian another at Carthage in Africa. Of these, sixty were bishops, and many more held the rank of presbyters and deacons. Other synods, moreover, were held individually in various places and provinces. To all those who deliberated, one and the same decision was manifest: that Novatus and the bishops with him, and whoever consented to their inhuman judgment, ^C were to be considered entirely alien to the Church; but that those of the brethren who had fallen were to be received and treated with the greatest care, by applying the medicines worthy of repentance. ^D The Synod held at Rome declares this, as do those held before it in Italy and in Africa, led by Cyprian, as has been mentioned; and the letters of Cornelius, the Roman bishop, and others composed in the Roman tongue by Cyprian and the bishops with him, make it clear that all agreed that it was necessary to help those who had been defeated by the temptation and to provide them with the necessary relief; and furthermore, that the leader of the heresy and all those who thought as he did were to be excommunicated. Another letter of Cornelius exists, which describes in detail the decisions of the synod, and yet another which expounds the affairs of Novatus, which he wrote to Fabius, the high priest of Antioch, detailing what sort of man Novatus was, from which [letter] the history of the greater part of the vileness of Novatus is gathered.

CAPUT VI. OF THE EPISTLES OF DIONYSIUS CONCERNING PENITENCE; AND A NEW NARRATIVE CONCERNING A CERTAIN SERAPION, WHO RECEIVED THE SACROSANCT MYSTERIES IN PENITENCE, WHILE BREATHING HIS LAST.

^A To this same Fabius, who was somewhat inclining toward the schism of Novatus, the divine man Dionysius, whom we have just mentioned, writes and discourses at great length concerning penitence. He distinguishes the contests of the martyrs from the beginning, just as we also related, and adducing many other things, he records something worthy of admiration, which I have thought should be appropriately recounted here as well. "I will set forth to you," he says, "one example which occurred among us. There was among us an aged believer named Serapion, who had lived for a long time without reproach, but who had fallen during the storm of persecution. This man often besought [to be received back], but no one gave heed to him, for he had sacrificed to idols. Subsequently, however, being oppressed by sickness, he lay for three whole days without voice or sense. But recovering his strength a little on the fourth day, he called his daughter's son to him and said: 'How long, children, do you keep me? I beseech you, hasten and release me as quickly as possible. Call one of the presbyters to me.' Having said this, he again became speechless. The boy ran to the presbyter. Now it was night, and the man was sick and lay in bed. Wherefore, since he could not come to the old man, and because he had a mandate ^B from me that those departing this life, if they should have need—and especially if they had previously supplicated for it—should be absolved, so that they might depart with better hope, he gave to the boy a small portion of the Eucharist, ordering him to moisten it and drop it into the mouth of the old man. The boy returned; when he was not far off, and before he had entered in, Serapion again revived. 'You have come, child?' he said. 'The presbyter could not come; but do you quickly do what you were ordered, and release me.' The boy moistened it and at the same time applied it to the mouth, and he having swallowed a little of it, immediately gave up the ghost. Was he not manifestly preserved and kept in life until he was absolved, so that, his sin having been blotted out by the many good works he had done, he might be able to confess it?"

These things, then, concerning this man. Furthermore, the same Dionysius wrote another epistle concerning penitence to the Egyptians, in which he sets forth his judgment on the lapsed, sketching their orders and distinctions. Again, another which has the same inscription concerning penitence to Conon, the bishop of Hermopolis. ^C Another besides, a hortatory one to his flock in Alexandria. There is likewise another epistle of his to Origen, concerning martyrdom; and to those in Laodicea, whose shepherd was known to be Bishop Thelymidris; as also another concerning penitence to the Armenians, over whose church one by the name of Meruzanes presided. And he writes to Cornelius at Rome, having accepted the epistle against that Novatus; to whom [he also writes] that it is useless for sanctification, saying: "For Christ does not become another, nor is his holy body changed, but the power of the blessing and the vivifying grace remain perpetually in it." Cyril to Bishop Calosyrius.

^A He also wrote to Cornelius, Bishop of Rome, when he had received a letter from him against Novatus. To him he also signifies that he was requested by Helenus, Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, and by Firmilian of Cappadocia, as well as by Theoctistus of Palestine, to attend the synod at Antioch, where some were attempting to maintain and confirm the heresy of Novatus. He points out to him also that Fabius had fallen asleep, and that Demetrianus had been installed as his successor on the throne of Antioch. Regarding the Bishop of Jerusalem, he writes to him in these words: "The admirable Alexander has happily died in prison." Then he wrote two other letters to the Romans, one concerning peace, and the other concerning penitence. He sent another to those there who had confessed the faith but were still clinging to the opinion of Novatus, and two others to these same people again when they had returned to the Church. By sending letters to many others as well, he left behind the greatest benefit.

CHAPTER VII. On the question that arose at that time concerning divine baptism, and how Sabellius arose at that time.

^A a letter before to Stephen and to Helenus and Firmilianus and all the neighboring nations, showing that he would not hold communion with them for this very reason, because they rebaptize heretics. "And consider," he says, "the magnitude of the matter. For it is certain that decrees have been made about this in the greatest councils of bishops, as I hear; to the effect that those who come from heresies, after having been catechized, are then to be washed and cleansed from the filth of the old and impure leaven." And a little later: "And to our beloved fellow-presbyters Dionysius and Philemon, who were previously supporters of Stephen, when they wrote to me concerning these same matters, I replied, at first briefly, but now at greater length." And so much for the subject of baptism. ^B But, indicating that the heresy according to Sabellius was also rife at that time, he says this: "Concerning the doctrine that has just sprung up in Ptolemais of the Pentapolis, which is impious and contains much blasphemy against the almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and much unbelief concerning his only-begotten Son, the first-born of all creation, the Word who became man, and insensibility regarding the Holy Spirit—since both decrees and brothers prepared to debate had reached me from both sides, I wrote certain things according to my ability, God aiding me, explaining everything more clearly."

CHAPTER VIII. Concerning the vision which appeared to Dionysius.

In the third epistle concerning baptism, which he wrote to Philemon, a Roman presbyter, he reports these things: "I have indeed perused the writings and traditions of the heretics, ^C defiling my mind for a while with their most impure opinions, yet deriving this benefit from them, that I might more easily refute and reject them within myself, and the more vehemently loathe and detest them. And indeed, a certain brother of the presbyters was restraining me and terrifying me from reading them, fearing lest I should be engulfed in the mire of their malice together with them, and lest my soul should contract some new contagion. And when I felt that he was speaking the truth, a vision divinely exhibited and a voice confirmed me. For it commanded expressly and clearly, saying: 'Read all the books you may take in your hands; for you are capable of ^D examining, correcting, and scrutinizing all things, a task which was also the cause of your embracing the faith from the beginning.' I accepted that vision as agreeing with the apostolic voice, which says to the more steadfast: 'Become approved money-changers.'" Then, having said some things about all the heresies, he adds the following.

Chapter IX. On the wicked error and seduction of the heretics: likewise on their impious baptism, and how many epistles Dionysius wrote regarding this matter.

^A I received this rule and form from our blessed pope Heraclas. For those returning from heresies, even if they had supposedly departed from the Churches—or rather, not departed, but only seemed to be gathering and communicating with us, though they had been led away to follow someone who taught alien things, for which reason they had been spurned by the Church—he did not receive them as petitioners until they had publicly declared all that they had heard from those who held the contrary view. And then he gathered them, not requiring another baptism for them. For they had already received the holy one from him previously.

^B And having sufficiently exercised the problem, he adds, saying: "I have learned this also, that not only now have those in Africa introduced this wrongly, but it was so decreed by those who were bishops long before us in the most populous churches and in the synods of the brethren, in Iconium and Synnada, and among many others. Rejecting their counsel, I refrain from casting them into strife and love of contention. For he says, 'You shall not move the boundaries of your neighbor, which your fathers set.'" [prov. xxii, 28] His first epistle regarding baptism was sent to Dionysius of Rome, who was still at that time reckoned among the presbyters. That he, too, was learned and admirable may be inferred from what he writes.

^C In the epistle to him, he also makes mention of Novatus, saying thus: "For we justly detest Novatian, who cut asunder the Church, and drew some of the brethren into impieties and blasphemies, and introduced a most unholy doctrine concerning God, slandering our most bountiful Lord Jesus Christ as if He were unmerciful. And in addition to all these things, he abolishes the holy laver, and overturns the faith and confession toward Him; and the Holy Spirit, from those in whom there was any hope that He might remain or return to them, he utterly banishes."

^D But truly, the fifth epistle was written by him to Xystus of Rome; in which, having said many things against the heretics, he sets forth such a thing that happened to him, saying: "For in truth, brother, I am in need of counsel, and I seek your opinion and judgment, after such a matter as this has occurred among us; for I fear lest I should be deceived. For when the brethren were gathered, a certain believer, considered ancient, even from before my ordination—and I think, indeed, even before the appointment of the blessed Heraclas—who had participated in the congregation, and having been present at those being baptized, and having heard the questions and answers, came to me weeping and lamenting himself, and falling before my feet, confessing and—

^A abjuring the baptism which he had received from the heretics, he said that it was not such, nor did it have any communion at all with this; but that it was filled with impiety and blasphemies. He said that his soul was greatly pricked, and that he did not have the boldness to lift up his eyes to God, being moved by those unholy words and deeds by which he had been initiated, and therefore he begged to obtain this most sincere purification, and admission, and grace. This I did not dare to do, saying that his long communion with us was sufficient for this. For having heard the thanksgiving and having joined in saying the "Amen," and having stood at the table and stretched out his hands for the reception of the holy food, ^B and having received it, and having for a sufficiently long time been partaker of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus, I did not think it at all necessary to unravel and renew this again from the beginning. I bade him, however, to be of good courage, and to approach the communion of the holy mysteries with firm faith and a good conscience. But he neither ceased his mourning, nor did he approach the table without fear and trembling. And it was with difficulty that he was finally persuaded by my exhortations to endure to stand in the prayers. There is also another letter to Xystus, in which he speaks at length about this question. Likewise, another letter about Lucian regarding the same question, addressed to Dionysius of Rome. And so much regarding the letters of Dionysius concerning baptism.

CHAPTER X.

Concerning the persecution of Valerian, and what Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, suffered at that time.

^A dividing their entrails, and cutting up the creatures of God into minute pieces, thinking that thereby he would be happy and blessed. Thus he became an enemy of the Church and rendered himself unworthy of the kindness of God. Accordingly, he also stirred up a great persecution. And if any one wished to recount in detail all those who were engaged in the struggles of those times, it would require a separate history. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Dionysius, as the evil was growing, stood before the judicial tribunals and was examined, while Aemilianus held the prefecture of the province of Egypt. There were with him also Maximus the presbyter; two deacons, Faustus and Eusebius; and another together with Chaeremon. And since they were commanded to sacrifice together with their hierarch, they refused at first, confessing that they were Christians and that it was impossible to worship or even to fear any other God. For He, they said, is the Creator of heaven and earth, and He is the One Who grants power and dominion on earth to kings at appointed and set times. ^B When these and many other such things were brought forward by them, Aemilianus persisted in his decision; and when he saw that he could not persuade them, without delay, although Dionysius was afflicted by sickness, he banished him to certain lonely and desolate regions of Libya. Thither, many from the city, and not a few from Egypt, came out to him, and being built up by the word of his faith, they remained there with him. Afterwards, he was carried off from thence to a harsher and more grievous life in exile, to a region called Cephro, and a place named Colythium. The blessed Dionysius bore all these things with a great and brave soul. And no ^C less, certain of the brethren eased the roughness of the place by their constant company and offered him the piety of consolation. But those who wish to learn more accurately what things were endured in that storm of persecution, not only by Dionysius himself, but also by other numberless brothers, can read what he wrote to a certain bishop of his time, named Germanus, who wished to speak ill of him, saying at the beginning: « I would indeed be foolish and insane if I were to impose upon myself the necessity of describing in writing the wonderful dispensation of God concerning us. But since, as Scripture says, it is good to conceal the secret of a king, but glorious to proclaim the works of God, I will proceed to the narration of the events, » and so forth. ^D

CHAPTER XI.

Concerning the martyrs at Caesarea in Palestine.

^A having distinguished themselves in the confession of Christ, finished their divine course, becoming fodder for wild beasts. Their names were Priscus, Malchus, and Alexander. It is said that these, living in the country and acting as if they were sluggish and slothful in the most beautiful of missions—supposing that they were neglecting to snatch up those heavenly prizes that were already encircling them, because of their sloth—had effectively cheated themselves of the crown of martyrdom. Having reflected well on these things, they are said to have immediately rushed to Caesarea; and having appeared before the judge, and having provided the befitting responses concerning their confession of Christ, they attained the blessed end, becoming food for the beasts. Indeed, a certain woman in the same city also finished the same struggle; she belonged to the sect of Marcion, as the report goes, both in her choice and in her opinion.

CAPUT XII. Concerning the peace under Gallienus; and his epistle which he published on behalf of the Christians; and what sort of man he was.

Valerian, having been thus snatched away, did not continue the persecution for long. For, having been captured ^B by the barbarians, and reduced to servitude, he transferred the empire to his son Gallienus. He, in his benevolence, immediately published edicts, inhibited the persecution of the Christians, and freely permitted the ministers of the Word to perform their established and customary duties. His letter was worded in roughly these terms: "Emperor Caesar Publius Licinius Gallienus, Felix, Pius, Augustus, to Dionysius, Pinna, and Demetritus, bishops. I have commanded that the favor of my benevolence be disseminated throughout the whole world, so that they might depart from the places of worship. Wherefore, you also may make use of the copy of my rescript, so that no one may be troublesome or burdensome to you; and that which can be fulfilled by you according to the law is permitted by me long since. And for this reason, Aurelius Cyrenius, the prefect of the highest order, will observe the constitution promulgated by me." There is also circulated another order of his, issued to other bishops, permitting them to recover the fields belonging to their cemeteries. Such, then, was Gallienus; concerning whom Dionysius reports these things as well: "And he, of the emperors who were before him, abandoning the one and attacking the other, perished quickly with his whole family and root and branch. But Gallienus was manifested and confessed by all as being at once an old emperor ^C and a new one, being the first, and after those ^D who did not succeed him, he was at once—

and as it were, he now exists in the same way as he was before. And as if the empire had laid aside its old age, and at the same time had cleansed away the vice that adhered to it, it flowers now more vigorously; and it is seen, heard, and frequented far more widely everywhere.” These things Dionysius relates concerning him. ^B

CHAPTER XIII. Concerning Marinus the Caesarean martyr.

At that time, when there was peace everywhere, a certain Marinus in Cæsarea of Palestine, illustrious for wealth, lineage, and dignity, was beheaded for Christ, because of such a cause as this. The order of military discipline was calling him to a greater honor, according to the Roman custom; they called this a "vine," and those who obtained it became centurions. And he was now about to receive such an honor, when another man, led by a spirit of emulation, went forward to the tribunal and asserted that it was by no means fitting that one who was a Christian and did not sacrifice to the emperors should obtain Roman dignity; and he contended that the rank was rather owed to himself. Thereupon the judge (Achæus was his name) took this amiss and questioned Marinus as to whether he persisted in his opinion. And when he saw his constant mind and firm affection toward Christ, he granted him three hours to deliberate outside the court. Theotecnus, the bishop of the place, meeting him as he went out, took him by the hand and led him into the church, speaking to him the necessary words. He took him inside and, placing him by the sanctuary, drew back his tunic and showed him the sword with which he was girded. At the same time, producing the sacred Gospel, he placed it in the middle, and told him to choose which of the two he wished. When he immediately reached forth his right hand and took the book, he sent him out, having armed the martyr with prayers, and having exhorted him to cling rather to God; for he would most easily obtain what he most desired by being strengthened by Him against the temptations; and he sent him away in peace. And when the appointed time arrived and the herald again summoned the martyr, standing there and showing even greater eagerness than before for the sake of Christ, he was straightway led from there to death and beheaded.

CHAPTER XIV.

Verumenimvero Asterius, a man deeply devoted to God, a Roman senator, born of noble lineage, wealthy, and held in high esteem by the emperors—and thus, on account of his nobility and riches, unknown to none—was present at the martyr's death; and soon, having brought precious vestments, he took the martyr’s body upon his shoulders and, as was fitting, wrapped it and deigned to provide a truly splendid and magnificent burial. There are many other deeds of this man worthy of remembrance. Indeed, what he did at Caesarea Philippi, which the Phoenicians call Paneas, does not seem unseasonable to relate in our history. They say that there is a mountain near that city called Panius; at its roots are very abundant springs, from which they even say the Jordan flows. Into these springs, according to a certain ancestral custom, the local inhabitants would gather on a celebrated festival day and throw a victim to some demon ^B or other. Because this victim would miraculously and suddenly vanish by the force and efficacy of that demon, this event was celebrated everywhere as a great miracle. When Asterius was once present there and saw what was happening, and observed how the people were being led astray by it, he first felt pity for their error; then, lifting his hands to heaven, he invoked the God who is over all, that He might drive away that demon—the seducer of the people—who was hovering over the waters, and deliver those miserable people from such a great fraud and error. And while he thus prayed, the sacrificial victim suddenly emerged, floating on the springs. Thus, that miracle and the portentous opinion men had regarding it were taken away, so that from then on, nothing of the sort has occurred in that place. ^C

CAPUT XV.

Since I have mentioned Paneas, I did not think I should omit another story, one worthy of being in everyone’s mouth. For rumor has it that the woman mentioned in the divine Gospels—who, suffering from a flow of blood, drew healing to herself by touching the hem of Christ’s garment—originated from this city. Even now, her magnificent house is shown, and the admirable trophy and monument of the benefit conferred upon her by the Savior has remained. For before the doors of her house stood two statues set high upon a bronze column; of these, one, with knees bent and hands stretched forward, bore the appearance of a woman, having the face of a suppliant. But the other, placed opposite, in the upright stature of a man, dressed in a diplois with a certain becoming gravity, appeared to be extending a hand towards the kneeling woman. ^D

^C It is said that at the base of this statue a herb grew, which, when it reached the hem of the bronze mantle, would go no further; and this plant, touching that holy hem, was said to be a present remedy against all kinds of diseases. That this statue was cast by the woman previously suffering from the issue of blood, in the form and habit of Christ, the true and certain history which has reached us has handed down. And it lasted until the times of Julian. Nor ought it to seem very strange that those who had once received some benefit from our Savior should have left behind, through such monuments, a memorial of their grateful spirit towards him.

CHAPTER XVI.

Of the figure and form of the holy apostles, and of the throne of James the brother of the Lord.

^B We know that there are very many painted images even of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and of Christ himself, and of the Virgin mother who gave birth to him beyond nature, preserved to this very day. And Luke the apostle, having first learned to paint them accurately, began this work; then other men of old did the same, as was fitting for those who honored their saviors in signs and paintings; perhaps they were led by an ethnic custom and were accustomed to pay homage in that manner, but they handed it down without any necessary observation. But the Church, having received it from there, increased and promoted it more and more (by the care and providence of God), preserving not only likenesses and statues, but also vests, staffs, and beds of those holy men, for their everlasting remembrance. ^C Just as we also know that the throne of James, whom the sacred records hand down as the brother of the Lord and the first bishop of Jerusalem, ordained by Christ himself and the apostles, was preserved for a long time. For his successors, having clearly shown these things, venerated the throne that was kept, thereby declaring quite openly with what worship and zeal they followed the men beloved of God. Just as this has also been transmitted to us, among whom many things are preserved for the sake of memory. But let these things be sufficient concerning these matters.

^D

CHAPTER XVII.

Of Saint Gregory, famous for his miracles, and how he flourished at that time.

In the times of Gallienus, Gregory flourished in both doctrine and immense miracles, governing the churches in Pontus with his brother Athenodorus. To him had fallen the bishopric of Neocaesarea, and because of the efficacy of the miracles he performed, he received the surname "Wonderworker." Although born of pagan parents, he changed his religion and made the greatest progress in the faith: and giving his attention to Origen at Alexandria, he applied himself to the sacred and...

secular letters in the highest degree. There, a woman of loose morals who had approached him for the sake of slander, being seized by a demon, obtained healing through his prayer. Furthermore, when he was placed over the Church, and Phaidimos—who was bishop of Amasea—had laid his hands upon him, he was led to a place where a great rock, ^A immense as a hill, stood; by prayer alone he moved it and transferred it to another place. There, too, by the casting out and the letting in of demons, he drew the temple custodian to the faith in Christ; and a certain lake, about which two brothers were contending with great strife, he rendered dry and waterless. Moreover, he restrained the most destructive current of the river Lycus by planting his own staff, which even to this day—having grown into a great tree—is seen by those who travel there. A certain Jew, who had pretended to be dead, he rendered truly dead. And when some were pursuing him at one time, he was transformed into a tree, and standing in prayer remained unseen. He furthermore brought a plague upon the unbelievers, and delivered a certain woman who had approached the faith from death. The Mother of God appearing to him, manifested the profession of our faith through the evangelist John, insofar as it pertains to theology and the reason of the divinity, and she gave it to him in writing. He reached a great old age, and lasted even until the times of Diocletian, accustomed to uttering voices of thanksgiving that he had brought a city most populous and most full of infidelity into a contrary state of the profession of faith. For as many as he found there upon arriving who had received the faith before him, just so many he left remaining in infidelity at his death. ^B Let these things suffice to be said briefly and compendiously concerning the admirable Gregory.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Concerning the festal letters of Dionysius.

Dionysius of Alexandria, peace not yet having been restored to the churches by Gallienus, composed other festal letters in addition to those we have already mentioned concerning repentance and baptism and those concerning the Pascha. One of these he gave to Flavianus; another to Didymus and Domitius, in which he also sets forth the canon of the eight-year cycle, maintaining that the Pascha must not be celebrated at any other time than after the vernal equinox. He wrote another again to the presbyters of Alexandria, and various others to different persons. Peace then having shone forth, he returned from exile to Alexandria. ^C When sedition and civil tumult were stirred up there, because he could not perform his episcopal duty—since the brothers were inclined toward one or the other side of the faction—during the very days of Pascha, he conversed with them by letter from Alexandria itself as if he were an exile. He also gave to Hierax the Egyptian... ^D

[GREEK COLUMN] δὲ καὶ Ἰέρακι τῷ κατ' Αἴγυπτον ἐπισκόπῳ ἑορτα- ^A στικὴν ἑτέραν ἐχάραττεν, ἐν ᾗ καὶ τῆς κατ᾽ Ἀλε- ξάνδρειαν στάσεως μνείαν ποιούμενος, τοῦτον ὑπα- γορεύει τὸν τρόπον·

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΘ΄. Περὶ τῆς ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ γενομένης στάσεως τοῦ λαοῦ.

Ἐμοὶ δὲ τί θαυμαστόν, εἰ πrὸς τοὺς πορρωτέρω κατοικοῦντας χαλεπὸν τὸ κἂν δι' ἐπιστολῶν ὁμιλεῖν ; ὅτε καὶ τῷ πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν αὐτῷ μοι διαλέγεσθαι, καὶ τῇ ἰδίᾳ ψυχῇ συμβουλεύεσθαι, καθέστηκεν ἄπορον ; Πρὸς γοῦν τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ σπλάγχνα, τοὺς ὁμοσκήνους καὶ συμψύχους ἀδελφούς, καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ πολιτείας καὶ Ἐκκλησίας, ἐπιστολαίων δέομαι γραμμάτων. Καὶ ταῦθ᾽ ὅπως ἂν διαπεμψαίμην, ἀμήχανον φαίνε- ^B ται. Ῥᾷον γὰρ ἄν τις οὐχ ὅπως εἰς τὴν ὑπερόριον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπ᾿ Ἀνατολῶν ἐπὶ Δυσμὰς περαιωθείη, ἢ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπέλθοι. Τῆς γὰρ ἐρήμου τῆς πολλῆς καὶ ἀτριβοῦς ἐκείνης, ἣν ἐν δυσὶ γενεαῖς διώδευσεν ὁ Ἰσραήλ, ἄπορος μᾶλλον καὶ ἄβατός ἐστιν ἡ μεσαιτάτη τῆς πόλεως ὁδὸς καὶ θαλάσσης· ἣν ἐκεῖνοι ῥαγεῖσαν καὶ διατειχισθεῖσαν ἔσχον ἱππήλατον· καὶ ὧν ἐν τῇ λεωφόρῳ κατεποντίσθησαν Αἰγύπτιοι, οἱ γαληνοὶ καὶ ἀκύμαντοι λιμένες γεγόνασιν, εἰκὼν πολλάκις φανέντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς φόνων, οἷον ἐρυθρὰ θάλασσα. Ὁ δ' ἐπιῤῥέων ποταμός· τὴν πόλιν ποτὲ μὲν ἐρήμου τῆς ἀνύδρου ξηρότερος ὤφθη, καὶ μᾶλ- λον αὐχμώδης ἐκείνης, ἣν διαπορευόμενος ὁ Ἰσραὴλ οὕτως ἐδίψησεν, ὡς Μωσῆ μὲν καταβοᾷν· ῥυῆναι δὲ αὐτοῖς παρὰ τοῦ θαυμάσια ποιοῦντος μόνου ἐκ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου ποτόν. Ποτὲ δὲ τοσοῦτος ἐπλήμ- μυρεν, ὡς πᾶσαν τὴν περίχωρον τάς τε ὁδοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἀγροὺς ἐπικλύσαντα, τῆς ἐπὶ Νῶς γενομένης τοῦ ὕδατος φορᾶς ἐπαγαγεῖν ἀπειλήν. Ἀεὶ δὲ αἵμα- ^C τι καὶ φόνοις καὶ καταποντισμοῖς κάτεισι μεμιασμέ- νος· οἷος ὑπὸ Μωσῆ γέγονε τῷ Φαραώ μεταβαλὼν εἰς αἷμα καὶ ἐποζέσας. Καὶ ποῖον γένοιτ᾽ ἂν τοῦ πάντα καθαίροντος ὕδατος ὕδωρ ἄλλο καθάρσιον ; Πῶς ἂν ὁ πολὺς καὶ ἀπέραντος ἀνθρώποις Ὠκεανὸς ἐπιχυθείς, τὴν πικρὰν ταύτην ἀποσμήξεις θάλασσαν ; Ἢ πῶς ἂν ὁ μέγας ποταμὸς ὁ ἐκπορευόμενος ἐξ Ἐδέμ, ἐπὶ τὰς τέσσαρας ἀρχὰς εἰς ἃς ἀφορίζεται, μετοχετεύσας εἰς μίαν τοῦ Γαιὼν ἀποπλῦναι τὸ λύ- θρον ; Ἢ πότε ὁ τεθολωμένος ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν πανταχόθεν ἀναθυμιάσεων ἀὴρ εἱλικρινὴς γένοιτο ; Τοιοῦτοι γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἀτμοὶ καὶ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἄνεμοι, ποταμῶν τε αὖραι καὶ λιμένων ἀνειλήσεις ἀποπνέουσιν, ὡς σηπομένων ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ὑποκει- μένοις στοιχείοις νεκρῶν, ἐχώρα εἶναι τὰς δρόσους. Εἶτα θαυμάζουσι καὶ διαποροῦσι πόθεν οἱ συνεχεῖς λοιμοί· πόθεν αἱ χαλεπαί νόσοι· πόθεν αἱ παντοδα- ^D παὶ φθοραί· πόθεν ὁ ποικίλος καὶ πολὺς τῶν ἀνθρώ- πων ὄλεθρος ; διὰ τί μηκέτι τοσοῦτο πλῆθος οἰκητό- ρων ἡ μεγίστη πόλις ἐν αὐτῇ φέρει, ἀπὸ νηπίων ἀρξαμένη παίδων μέχρι τῶν εἰς ἄκρον γεγηρακότων ὅσους ὠμογέροντας οὓς ἐκάλει πρότερον ὄντας, ἔτρε- φεν ; Ἄλλοι τεσσαρακοντοῦται καὶ μέχρι τῶν ὁ

[LATIN COLUMN]

to another festival or Paschal epistle, in which making mention of the sedition at Alexandria, he writes in this manner:

CHAPTER XIX. On the sedition of the people of Alexandria.

"For what wonder is it to me, if to those who dwell farther away it is difficult to communicate even by letters? Since even to speak with myself, and to take counsel with my own soul, has become a difficult matter. Toward my own bowels, that is, toward the brethren who are of the same habitation, the same spirit, the same way of life, and the same Church, I have need of epistolary writings. And how I might convey these, seems impossible. For it would be easier for someone—I do not say to some distant place of exile—but to pass from the East to the West, than to traverse Alexandria itself from within Alexandria. For that long, trackless desert, which the children of Israel traversed in two generations, is more impassable and inaccessible than the middle way of the city and of the sea; which they once had as a paved road, now broken and partitioned; and those places where, in the high road, the Egyptians were drowned, have become calm and waveless harbors, having appeared often from the slaughters committed in them like the Red Sea. And the river that flows through the city has sometimes appeared drier and more parched than that desert which the children of Israel traversed, having thirsted so much that they cried out against Moses, and only through Him who works wonders did a drink flow for them from the flinty rock. Sometimes, however, it has overflowed so much that it has inundated the whole neighboring region, both roads and fields, and has threatened to bring about the flood of waters that occurred under Noah. But it is always defiled and contaminated with blood and slaughters and the drownings of citizens: such as that which under Moses was changed by, and reeked of, blood for Pharaoh. And what other cleansing water could there be for the water that cleanses all? How could the vast and boundless Ocean for men, by being poured over it, wash away this bitter sea? Or how could the great river that proceeds from Eden, upon the four heads into which it is divided, having diverted into one, the Geon, wash away the filth? Or when would the air, troubled on all sides by evil exhalations, become pure again? For such vapors from the land and winds from the sea, and breezes from the rivers and drafts from the harbors exhale, that, as the dead are rotting in all the underlying elements, the dews are corrupt. And then they wonder and ask in doubt, whence come the continuous plagues; whence the cruel diseases; whence the manifold destructions; whence the varied and great destruction of men; why the greatest city no longer bears with it so great a multitude of inhabitants, beginning from infant children up to those who have reached the extreme of old age, as many as—whom it formerly called raw-aged—it used to nourish? Others are forty years old and even up to the...

^A age of seventy, there was previously such a great multitude of them that they do not now fill up their number, even when those who are fourteen years old are added and included with them for the receiving of the public grain allowance, up to the age of eighty. Thus, they who are of most youthful appearance have now become, as it were, the equals of those who were once the most elderly. And while they see the race of men always diminishing and being consumed on earth, and the slaughter of all becoming daily more rampant and widespread, they do not tremble while their utter destruction grows and progresses. »

h CAPUT XX. h De pestilentia sævissima, quæ Alexandria est grassata. ^B

After the sedition, a pestilential disease preyed upon the city. And since the day of Pascha was at the doors, he, speaking to the brethren, indicated the sufferings of the disease with these words: « For other men, as things now stand, it might not seem to be a time for celebrating a festival. Nor is it so for them, nor is there any other, I do not say joyous, but something that might be and appear most pleasant. Now, indeed, all things lament, all mourn, and the city resounds with wailing on account of such a multitude of the dead and of those dying daily. For as it is written concerning the firstborn of the Egyptians, so a great cry has now arisen. For there is not a house in which a dead person is not found. And would that he were not found; for even in the times ^C which preceded these, we endured very many and grievous calamities. And while we alone were vexed and killed by all, nevertheless, even then we kept our feast days: and every place of any disaster whatsoever provided us with the opportunity for holding an assembly: field, desert, ship, public inn, prison. But the perfect ones, the martyrs, celebrated the most joyous of all feasts, banqueting in heaven. After these disasters, war and pestilence fell upon us, evils which we shared with the nations. And we indeed endured the losses that were brought upon us alone; but together with them, we endured the losses which they wrought and suffered against one another, namely, through the tumult; yet we were gladdened again by Christ's peace, which He granted to us alone. ^D But when a very little breathing space had been given both to us and to them, this pestilential disease struck: a thing more terrible to them than any fear, and more calamitous than any distress; and as one of their historians said, a disaster surpassing the opinion and expectation of all: but to us, not at all such, but no less a trial and a test, inferior to none of the others: for it did not even refrain from us; but it went forth in great measure to the nations. » Then he proceeds further and adds these things: « The most of our brethren, through exceeding love and brotherly affection, examined the human race, whether the healthy were serving the infirm, whether the near of kin were piously tending their relatives, whether the masters were showing mercy to their languishing slaves, whether the physicians were not forsaking those begging them for help: whether the fierce

^A and other things, practice and exploration. It did not abstain from us, but raged most of all against the Gentiles. » He then adds this: « Many of our brothers, for their excellent love and brotherly charity, not sparing themselves and depending on one another, visited the sick without any fear; and serving them with great zeal and care in Christ, they died together with them, most willingly filling themselves with the pain of others, drawing the disease of their neighbors into themselves, and not grudgingly mitigating their pains. Many, in caring for and strengthening others, departed themselves, transferring their death upon themselves. Thus they fulfilled that common saying, which had always seemed to be one of mere courtesy and benevolence, for by dying in such a manner they showed themselves to be the ^B *peripsema* (the offscouring) of all. In this way the best of our brothers, some presbyters also, and deacons, and those most lauded from among the laity, departed from this life: so that this kind of death, strengthened by much piety and faith, seemed not far removed from martyrdom. And they would take the corpses of the saints with open hands and in their bosoms, closing their eyes, shutting their mouths, lifting them onto their shoulders and laying them out, clinging to them, embracing them, washing them, and adorning them with funeral garments, and after a little while they themselves obtained the same lot, for survivors always followed those who had gone before. The Gentiles, on the contrary, did everything quite differently: they pushed away those who began to fall ill, and fled from their dearest ones, casting those half-dead into the streets, leaving the dead unburied, and shunning the succession and communion of death, which, however, it was not easy to avoid, no matter how much they schemed. » After this, when things had become more peaceful in the city, Dionysius wrote a Paschal letter to the brothers in Egypt, and again wrote others to different people. There is also a writing of his about the Sabbath, and another about exercise; and writing a letter to Hermammon and the brothers in Egypt, he mentions, among other things, Decius and Gallus and their depraved morals; and he makes mention of the tranquility that existed under Gallienus.

CHAPTER XXI.

And so, thinking to confirm his heresy from the Apocalypse of John, he composed a book, which he entitled, *A Refutation of those who compose allegories*. Dionysius, responding to him in the books we have mentioned, sets forth his opinion concerning his dogma in the first, while in the second he discusses the Apocalypse of John more extensively, proceeding thus: ^A “Since they bring forward a certain writing of Nepos, upon which they rely heavily, as if it demonstrated and proved irrefutably that the kingdom of Christ would be on earth, in many other respects I receive and love Nepos on account of his faith, and his industry, and his diligence in the Scriptures, and his many psalmodies, with which many of the brethren are to this day delighted; and I hold the man himself in great reverence.” ^B Then, proceeding further, he adds: “But if anything has been spoken rightly, it is fitting to praise it; but again, if anything is not written according to sound doctrine, it ought to be corrected. And if the man himself were present, discussion would be sufficient by way of questioning and answering, persuading and reconciling those things that are set against each other. But since his writing, which is composed sufficiently to persuade, is in people’s hands—a writing in which the Law and the Prophets are slandered, and the Gospels are esteemed as nothing, and the books of the Apostles are disparaged as of no value, while his own writing is celebrated as if it were some hidden and secret mystery, allowing the souls of the simpler brethren to think nothing great or sublime concerning the certain, true, and glorious appearance of Christ, nor even concerning our resurrection from the dead and our gathering together unto Him and assimilation to Him, but rather [encouraging them] to know and feel only small and mortal things, such as those of the present life—it is strictly necessary that we should engage in discussion as if with our brother Nepos himself present.” ^C Then he relates that he had been in the Arsinoite nome, where this heresy had emerged, and that, with all the ecclesiastical men and others also present, he had for three successive days discussed the doctrine of Nepos, with his book set before them. And he admires the steadfast and decent manner of the brethren, who properly and in an orderly way accommodated their assents and approvals to the responses, not persisting in contentiously defending those things which they had once established among themselves, nor omitting legitimate objections, but professing the truth when it was known to them (which some, constrained by a certain sense of shame when they are convicted, do not do), and with a good conscience receiving those things ^D that had been approved by the authority of the divine Scriptures, with their hearts simply directed toward God without hypocrisy or dissimulation. He adds, furthermore, that even the teacher of that place, named Coracion, having been persuaded by the voices that had been uttered against his opinion, before all those present accepted [the correction], the truth having now been sufficiently perceived, and that he would henceforth have no business with Nepos, nor would he make mention of him, just as the teacher who was with them, Coracion named, having been persuaded by the voices of those who were arguing against him, in the presence of all agreed that he would no longer pay attention to him, nor bring him to mind, nor teach him, as he had sufficiently recognized the truth. And he says that the other brethren rejoiced in the arguments and in the condescension and sympathy shown to all.

Chapter XXII. Quid Dionysius Alexandrinus de Apocalypsi Joannis scriptum reliquerit.

^A Then he offers his own opinion regarding the Apocalypse of John: and though all these things are somewhat lengthy, I have nevertheless deemed it necessary to recount them in his own words. "Some, therefore," he says, "before our time, have rejected and entirely set aside the book; and having examined it chapter by chapter, they pronounce it unintelligible and inconsistent, and say that the inscription is false; for they claim that it is not by John, nor even a 'Revelation,' since it is covered by a very thick and dense veil of obscurity. And they assert that the author of this writing was not any one of the apostles, nor at all any of the saints, or those of the Church; but that Cerinthus, who founded the heresy called 'Cerinthian' after him, wishing to cloak his own invention with a name worthy of belief—for this was the dogma of his teaching, ^B that the kingdom of Christ would be earthly—dreamed that it would consist of those things which he himself, being very carnal and fond of the flesh, craved: namely, the indulgence of the belly and those parts beneath the belly, that is, in foods and drinks and marriages; and, in order to adorn these things with more specious terms, in festivals, sacrifices, and the slaughter of victims.

"I, indeed, would not dare to reject the book, which many brethren read with great zeal; but I hold a higher opinion of it than corresponds to my own limited understanding. For even if I do not grasp it, I suspect, nevertheless, that a deeper and more mysterious sense lies in its words, and one ^C far more sublime than I am able to perceive. I do not judge these things by my own opinion, but rather attribute more to faith. I do not reject what I do not perceive, but rather marvel that I do not understand it."

After this, having examined the whole Scripture of the Revelation with all diligence and care, he demonstrates that it cannot be understood if one looks only at the sense that seems to lie on the surface; and then he adds: "Having completed, so to speak, the entire prophecy, the prophet declares blessed those who keep it, and indeed himself as well. 'Blessed,' he says, 'is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book; and I, John, who saw and heard these things.' That it is called John, and that this writing is John's, I shall not gainsay. ^D I agree that it is by some holy and divinely inspired man; yet I would not easily concede that this was the apostle, the son of Zebedee, the brother of James, whose is the Gospel inscribed 'according to John,' and the Catholic Epistle. For I conjecture, from the character of each, and from the nature of the words, and from the composition of the book as it is called, that it is not the same person. For the Evangelist nowhere inscribes his name, nor does he proclaim himself either through the Gospel or through the Epistle." And having proceeded a little further, he says again: "John, indeed, nowhere [names himself], neither as speaking of another, nor as speaking of himself; but he who [wrote] the Apocalypse...

^A He who wrote the Apocalypse, however, immediately sets himself forward at the beginning: "The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants the things which must shortly come to pass; and He signified it by sending through His angel unto His servant John, who bare witness of the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus, whatsoever he saw." Then he also writes an epistle: "John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace." But the Evangelist did not prefix his name even in the Catholic Epistle; rather, he began in an ineffable way from the very secret mystery of the divine revelation: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes." For it was because of this revelation that the Lord also pronounced Peter blessed, saying, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven." But neither in the second nor in the third of the epistles that go by the name of John—brief though they be—is John positioned by name; rather, he is written down anonymously as "the presbyter." Furthermore, this one did not deem it sufficient to set forth the consequences once his name was mentioned; instead, he repeats it again and again: "I John, who saw and heard these things." ^B Next, he signifies that this writing is indeed by a John of the same name, but not by the beloved one. He hints that it is by the John who was in Asia, who was surnamed "the presbyter," of whom we spoke before, namely that two monuments having the same name of John are shown in Ephesus. "For many," he says, "on account of their inclination and affection toward the apostles, bestowed their names upon their own children."

CHAPTER XXIII.

He also demonstrates from the composition of the language, the thoughts, and the very words themselves, that the author of that book is someone other than the Evangelist, writing in this way: "For the Gospel and the Epistle are harmonious with one another, and have a similar beginning. For the one says, 'In the beginning was the Word'; ^D while the other says the same things, though slightly altered: 'That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; and the life was manifested.' For he puts these words forward as if in prelude, contending, as he shows in the following, against those who claimed that the Lord had not come in the flesh. Wherefore he connected it accurately and appositely: 'And that which we have seen, we announce unto you'; following strictly from himself, and not digressing from the purpose. And thus, through the same topics and terms, he follows everything, some of which we shall briefly mention. But he who reads them attentively will find in both abundant life, abundant light, detestation of the darkness, perpetual truth, grace, joy, the flesh and blood of the Lord, judgment, the remission of sins, the love of God toward us, the command of the love

^A And to the command of love; as it is necessary to keep all the commands. The refutation of the world, of the devil, and of the Antichrist; the promise of the Holy Spirit; the adoption into the family of God; our faith which is required in all things; the Father and the Son designated everywhere, and altogether characterizing all things, looking at one and the same; such is the tone of the Gospel and the epistle. But the Apocalypse is very different and strange compared to these things, neither touching them, nor being akin to them, nor even having, one might almost say, a common syllable; nor does the epistle have any mention or concept of the Apocalypse (for I omit the Gospel), nor does the Apocalypse have any of the epistle. Even Paul, through his epistles, points out something concerning his own revelations, although he did not record them as separate writings. ^B And further, it is possible to demonstrate the difference in style between the Gospel and the epistle compared to the Apocalypse. For the former are written not only faultlessly according to the Greek tongue, but also with most learned diction, syllogisms, compositions, and interpretations. It is far from the case that any barbaric word, or solecism, or indeed any rusticism at all, is to be found in them. For he seemed to possess both arguments and knowledge, both having been granted to him by the Lord, both that of wisdom and that of knowledge. That he beheld revelations, and received knowledge and prophecy, I will not deny; however, I do not see that he uses a dialect and language that is strictly Greek, but rather he uses barbaric idioms, and here and there commits solecisms. Which it is not necessary to mention now, for let no one think that I said these things to mock, but only to illustrate the dissimilarity of these writings. ^C These things Dionysius said in his second book of the Promises, while debating with Nepos, concerning the Apocalypse of John.

CHAPTER XXIV. Concerning the other epistles of Dionysius, and his writings.

^D There are also many other most numerous epistles of the said divine man: those against Sabellius to Ammon, bishop of the Beronicenses; ^D and also those to Telesphorus and to Euphranor; and again the one written to Ammon and Euporus. Moreover, he wrote four other treatises on the same subject, addressed to the bishop who bore his name at Rome. Furthermore, there are many other epistles, and long orations counted among the epistles, such as the one he wrote to the boy Timothy, having the title *On Nature*. Just as there is also the one he composed to Euphranor, *On Temptations*. And writing to Basilides, the bishop of the churches in the Pentapolis, he indicates from the start that he had composed commentaries on Ecclesiastes. There are also various epistles sent to him. He also wrote against Paul of Samosata and Manes, who existed at that time. But concerning them hereafter

^A Paul of Samosata and Manes appeared at that time, of whom we shall speak. Having reached a great old age, he died in the twelfth year of the reign of Gallienus, at which time the synod against Paul of Samosata was assembled at Antioch.

CHAPTER XXV

What Basil the Great writes in a certain letter concerning Dionysius of Alexandria

I have thought it necessary to add here what Basil the Great writes to Maximus the philosopher concerning the books of Dionysius. "The writings of Dionysius, which you inquire about," he says, "have reached us in great numbers. We have not, however, the books themselves; for this reason we have not sent them. Our opinion concerning them is as follows: We do not praise all the works of this man. There are also some which we utterly reject. For, as far as I know, he was the first to provide the seedbed for that impiety which is now spread abroad everywhere—I mean that concerning the ‘unlike’—not, indeed, through any wickedness of mind or opinion, but because he wished to oppose Sabellius too vehemently and sharply. I am accustomed to compare him to a gardener who, while zealously trying to correct the crooked state of a tender tree, errs through excessive pulling, departs from the middle way, and leads the plant itself into a contrary and different shape. We find that something similar happened in the case of this man. For he, having ^B set himself more sharply against the impiety of the Libyan heretic, did not perceive, through excessive zeal for contention, that he was being carried into the contrary evil. It would have been sufficient for him to show that the Father and the Son are not the same in subject, and by this to win the praise of victory from that blasphemer. But he, in order to convince him quite openly and prolixly, introduces not only a diversity of subsistences, but also a difference of substance, a diminution of power, as it were, and a change of glory. Thus it happened that through this he exchanged one evil for another, and strayed from the right doctrine. Therefore, he is inconsistent in his writings. For sometimes he ^C abolishes the 'consubstantial' through those arguments which he uses badly to abrogate the subsistences; at other times he admits it, namely, in those writings which he composed for his own defense against his namesake. Furthermore, he even uttered expressions concerning the Holy Spirit that are by no means worthy of the Spirit, excluding Him from the deity that is worshipped, and reducing Him, as it were, to the lowest order of created and ministering nature. And such, indeed, was this man."

CHAPTER XXVI

On Sabellius, and his heresy, and that it flourished in those times

We made mention of Sabellius a little earlier. But now I shall explain clearly who he was and what were his blasphemies. He was a Libyan by race, originating from the Pentapolis of that region. He taught that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one subsistence, and one trinomial person, and that the same one is ^D called by the Scripture sometimes as Father, and sometimes...

As to the Son, he was at one time ^A spoken of as the Son, at another as the Holy Spirit; and in the Old Testament ^A he is legislated as the Father, and in the New Testament it is he who becomes man, and it is he who visits the apostles as the Holy Spirit. Dionysius, however, as was said by that great Father Basil, in resisting this, fell into the contrary evil. So much concerning Sabellius, in brief.

CHAPTER XXVII. De haeresi Pauli Samosateni : et de prima contra eam coacta synodo.

At that time, when Demetrianus, bishop of Antioch, had departed this life, Paul of Samosata ^A took over his throne, at the time when Zenobia held the rule of that place. For the Persians, having defeated the Romans, had handed over to her the administration of Syria and Phoenicia. This Paul, desiring to manage the church there in a Judaizing manner, and endeavoring to treat it with the greatest care, slipped into the heresy of Artemon. For he taught things which were too low and groveling ^B concerning Christ. He preached that he was a common man by nature, and that he had possessed nothing more excellent than we have, and that he was devoid of the divine substance; and he claimed that the Son of God had inhabited him just as he does in a prophet, and then had again departed. And he decreed other things of this kind contrary to ecclesiastical doctrine. When the pastors of the churches living at that time learned of this, they did not judge it right to overlook such a spreading plague, especially since so great a ^C crime had found a home and, as it were, an assistant in so great a city. And Dionysius of Alexandria, a man of mark, delayed going there on account of his advanced age and severe infirmity. However, by letter he encouraged him to do his duty, and sharpened those who were flocking to him to the zeal and emulation of true piety, and sent to them his own judgment and opinion concerning the question proposed. The rest of the rulers of the churches, however, as if to destroy some ^D devastating and pernicious beast, gathered together from all sides at Antioch—some here, some there—holding swords and spears that were shining, presenting the true dogmas of the Church. The most eminent and most celebrated of these shone forth like radiant stars: the great Gregory, famed for working miracles; and Athenodorus, his brother in thought, word, and deed, who led the dioceses in Pontus; Firmilianus, bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, a brilliant man and most highly learned in both kinds of literature; Helenus, bishop of the metropolis of Tarsus in Cilicia; ^D furthermore Nicomas of Iconium, Hymenæus of Jerusalem, and Theotecnus of the neighboring Caesarea in Palestine, all bishops. In addition to these was Maximus, who presided over the brethren at Bostra; and Theophilus, Proclus, Elelianus, Paulus, Babylianus, Protogenes, Hierax, Eutychius,

Theodorus, et Malchion, ac Lucius, leaders of various flocks; and countless others together with presbyters and deacons flowed into the aforementioned city. When, therefore, all had assembled in one place, they often and at length entered into discussions, and in every session many questions were proposed. Paulus, for his part, labored to cast a shadow over his heresy and to hide it as much as he could. But the study of the others was chiefly to bring it to light, and to make that great blasphemy against Christ plain to all. For they tried first by persuasion and counsel to lead Paulus away from his conceived opinion and to draw him to the contrary view. But when he, interposing an oath, openly renounced the error attributed to him, and confirmed that he believed nothing of the kind but adhered to the apostolic decrees and doctrines and insisted upon them, they then, having praised God the common Savior for the consensus and concord of the churches, dissolved the synod and returned each to his own flock. ^B

CHAPTER XXVIII. How, in the second assembly, Paulus was refuted by Malchion the sophist and cast out of the synod.

As time passed, when the report was again spread everywhere announcing the deviation of Paulus, those most renowned men did not even then proceed immediately to remove him, but they attempted first to heal the wound with written letters, thinking that in that way they would suppress the deadly doctrine. Dionysius indeed sent a letter, not deigning even to speak to the author of his error, but merely instructing and confirming the people of the church of Antioch. ^C Firmilian of Cappadocia, however, came to Antioch, but was immediately repelled by his deceit, for he again promised repentance and conversion, and so departed. But later, when he was about to engage with him a second time, as one who had so often experienced the danger of his godless wickedness, he departed from this life; at which time also Dionysius of Alexandria died, in the twelfth year of the reign of Galienus, as has been said, having administered the Church for seventeen years. And his successor in Alexandria was Maximinus. But when Galienus had already held power for fifteen years, he was succeeded by Claudius, who, having administered the empire for only two years, left it to Aurelian. Under his rule, the final and last meeting against the Samosatene was held, with a great many bishops coming together. ^D For when, after much admonishing, offering exhortations, and calling to memory the pacts of previous promises and agreements, they saw him persist in his denial, and the accusers stood ready to refute him, the council was convened. Here, a certain Malchion, who had previously presided over the sophistic school of Greek studies at Antioch, and who, afterward, because of his excellent faith in Christ and his own virtue, had been deemed worthy of the priesthood—this man, having come into discussion with him with boldness, took down the

words of all those present on tablets, and having arranged them, he convicted him and brought his hidden meaning, filled with fraudulent seduction, into the light in such a way that others also clearly perceived him. Thus, having been convicted of thinking and teaching alien things, and as the leader and author of the heresy, he became excommunicated from the Catholic and universal ^A Church. And he was not only removed from the clergy and the faithful, but he was also cast out of the Church. And he who held the helm of the Antiochenes was thus removed from above.

Chapter XXIX.

But since Paul strove against this and endeavored to retain the administration of the Church, and was unwilling to acquiesce in the decree of the synod, his audacity was reported to Aurelian, who was then reigning. He, in a most holy manner regarding the matter, decided that the episcopate be entrusted to those whom the Italian and Roman bishops had approved by their letters. For although he was devoted to the worship of demons, he nevertheless judged that which was just, that he who would oppose those consenting in the profession of faith and who would show contempt for their decree, should be cut off from their fellowship and college. Thus, Paul was shamefully thrust out of the Church, not only by sacred and ecclesiastical power but also by profane and worldly power. ^C Aurelian, at that time, showed himself sufficiently just toward us. But as time went on, along with his reign, he was persuaded by certain people to change his mind toward us, and he was incited to move a persecution against the Christians. And now no small rumor about this was spreading everywhere. And when he was scarcely yielding at last to those persuading him, and was about to subscribe to the letters which had been issued against true piety, suddenly divine vengeance was present, which, together with his own arm, restrained the hand of the wicked scribe, declaring clearly to all that it is not always easy for those who are stirred up against us to accomplish what they have decided against his churches: unless he allows it by an arcane and hidden judgment, for the sake of our examination, punishment, ^D and conversion, as he deems fit at the time. Furthermore, the Samosatene having been rejected in this manner, the pastors of the churches gathering together wrote a common epistle to Dionysius of Rome and Maximinus of Alexandria, the bishops, and sent it to all parts of the earth: in which they most fully set forth the acts of the synod, namely [the] extraordinary

studies and the impropriety of the character of Paul, his public disputations and refutations, and the impure and shameless life of the man. Wherefore it has pleased me to bring forward a few things here.

Chapter XXX. Letter of the Synod of Antioch, exposing the immoderate and luxurious life of Samosatenus.

^BAnd other things I shall pass over; but those which declare his character, as if inscribed upon a column, I will run through. They have it thus: "After he departed from the canon and the rule of sincere doctrine, and turned aside to illegitimate and adulterated dogmas, there is no need to recount his actions outside the Church; nor how, when he was formerly poor and a beggar—since he had received no patrimony from his parents, nor had he acquired anything by any art or study—he arrived at immense wealth through most iniquitous frauds and sacrileges; nor even how, shaking down the brethren, he exacted from them, taking rewards from those he treated unjustly and promising for a fee that he would bring aid to them, whom nevertheless he deceived himself; and gathering fruitful returns in vain, from the propensity and readiness of those who were occupied in business, who gave to him for this purpose that they might be finished with the annoyance of lawsuits, considering the income and tribute to be the worship of God; nor how he grew proud and, lifted up by worldly dignities, wished to be called *ducenarius* (1) rather than bishop; nor how he walked through the forum superciliously, at the same time reading and dictating letters, walking in public with a public retinue, with a great number preceding him and others following. So much so that, on account of the pride and arrogance of his heart, our faith has incurred great odium and huge hatred. Nor [shall I pass over] his monstrous pride in ecclesiastical assemblies, which he contrived by the pursuit of fame and glory, by the illusions of his eyes, and by the meditation of deceits; by which things he terrified the souls of the simpler folk and filled them with consternation, constructing for himself a tribunal and an ^C elevated throne, not as a disciple of Christ, but having and naming it a *secretum* just like the princes of the world (2); and then smiting his thigh with his hand, and striking the tribunal with his feet. And if any did not praise these things, and as is wont to happen in theaters, did not applaud by the waving and shaking of handkerchiefs—nor did others shout and leap up as those who stood around him, his faction—he thought an injury was being done to him by them. For thus both men and women heard him preaching in a very unbecoming manner. And against those who, as in the house of God, sat with the state of their bodies composed to a grave and decent habit, he [acted] most bitterly."

--- (1) *Ducenarius* was a princely official, either under the Augustal prefect, or under the Count of the East, or even under other provincial prefects, chosen from the *schola agentium in rebus*, who having adored the imperial clemency went forth with the insignia. He had under him a *Cornicularius*, an *Adjutor*, a *Commentariensis*, an *Ab actis*, *Numerarii*, *Exceptores*, etc. (2) *Secretum*. See Scotus on the insignia of the magistrates. The *Ducenarii* are mentioned in the Law *Matriculam, de agent. in reb. 12, lib. Cod.* In our times, the Chancellors seem to be the peers of the *Ducenarii* among kings and princes.

^A He reviled with contumely the teachers also and the interpreters of the Word, who had departed this life. He was grave and troublesome in public, and boasted magnificently of himself, not as a bishop, but as a sophist and impostor. Furthermore, having abrogated the psalms concerning our Lord Jesus, as if they were new and composed by recent authors, he instituted in the midst of the church, on the great day of Easter, that women sing praises of himself, which no one could have heard without horror. Just as he also set up and arranged bishops and presbyters from the neighboring fields and towns, who flattered him through adulation, to speak of him before the assembly of the people. He does not wish to confess with us that the Son of God has descended from heaven: that we may bring forward in anticipation some of those things which will be written later; and this shall not be spoken by bare word, but it is proved on all sides from the memoranda we have sent. ^B And not least does he say somewhere that Jesus Christ had his origin from the earth. But they who among the people celebrate this impious man with psalms and praises, sing that he is an angel and a master who has descended to them from heaven. And this the most arrogant man does not forbid, but is present for those who sing them. But what shall we say of his subintroduced women (3), as the Antiochenes call them; and of his presbyters and deacons, to whom he permits this crime and other irremediable sins, and conceals them with them, being conscious of their actions, and at the same time indicting them for them, so that he may hold them subject to himself? In which matters, he is injurious to them by his words and deeds, because they, fearing for themselves, dare not accuse him. But he also enriched them. Therefore, he is loved and held in admiration by those who pursue such things. Why, I ask, do we write these things? But we know, beloved, that the bishop and the whole priestly order ought to be an example to the multitude of all good works. Nor are we ignorant of that either: that very many, who had subintroduced women to themselves, have fallen gravely: many have arrived at foul suspicion. And even if we should concede that some one in such a matter commits nothing foul or unchaste, nevertheless one ought to avoid the suspicion which arises from such an association (4), lest it offend anyone, or incite them to the imitation of such an evil custom. For how will he rebuke another, or instruct him, that he might take care lest, frequently associating with a woman, he fall—just as it is written, who has already put away one, but two in the flower of their age— ^{C D}

^A and declaring him deposed, to appoint another in his stead to the Catholic Church by the providence of God, as we have been persuaded: the son of the blessed Demetrianus, who had before this illustriously presided over the same diocese, Domnus, adorned with all the qualities becoming a bishop. We have also signified to you that you should write to him, and from him receive the communicative letters. This man shall write to Artemas; and those who hold the opinions of Artemas shall hold communion with him.» And such was the outcome regarding this Paul of Samosata.

CHAPTER XXXI. On Manes the heresiarch, from whom the Manichaeans received their name; and on his heresy.

The storm against him had not yet perfectly subsided when another, far more savage than the former, arose and rushed in, dragging great waves with it and leaping more fiercely. This was Manes, ^B a man utterly bereft of his senses and insane; who, because of the perversity of his depraved mind, having armed his tongue as well with the poisonous words of a diabolical heresy, insinuated himself into the minds of many for their destruction. He was a Persian by birth and for a long time endured the yoke of servitude. And when, suddenly, he became the heir of his mistress, he was not content to remain in that softer and more affluent life which had fallen to him beyond his expectations; nor, knowing that he owed gratitude to the Giver of such things, did he apply himself to the truth. Instead, having become a complete instrument ^C of the enemy of the truth, he turned to impious fables. He maintained that there are two unbegotten beings, God and matter: the former of whom he called light, the latter darkness. And he called the light good, but the darkness evil; and he named both trees, bringing forth corresponding fruits. He said that God was far removed from matter, and again that matter was far removed from God. He claimed that God occupies the eastern, northern, and western regions, while matter occupies the southern. And he said that many centuries later, matter started a rebellion against its own fruits. And a war having been joined, he said that some were being pursued and others were fleeing; and that the pursuit reached as far as the light. And he said that matter rushed against the light together with the demons, and fire, and water; ^D and that...

God was filled with dread at such a sudden ^A incursion of its army, not knowing what to do for defense. Wherefore, having taken a portion of the light, he sent it down into matter like a kind of bait. Having been wounded and having swallowed it, that matter became pregnant. God was then compelled to create the world, so as to dissolve its constitution and bring the warring elements to peace, and to liberate by degrees the light that had been mixed into the matter. He claimed that man was fashioned not by God, but by the ruler of matter, Senclas; and Eve likewise, except that she was fashioned inanimate and immobile; and Adam in the form of a beast, and he wove together other similar nonsense. He considered the sun and moon to be divine. And about these, he invented many things monstrous and worthy of silence. ^B He called the devil sometimes matter, and sometimes the ruler of matter; and he said the marriage of the devil was a law and constitution. He says that the Lord neither assumed a soul nor a body, but appeared as a man, while having nothing human; and that the sufferings happened to Him only by appearance and semblance (1). He rejected the resurrection of bodies as a fable; for he said that no particle of matter is worthy of salvation. He taught the transmigration of souls from body to body, even into the bodies of birds, cattle, and wild beasts. All those around him think that the elements themselves are also animate. They use various impostures, and perform profane mysteries (2). For this reason their doctrine is held to be inexpugnable, fastening the souls of those initiated into it with the incantations of demons.

CHAPTER XXXII.

Manes, having acquired three disciples, Addas, Thomas, and Herman, sent Addas to the Syrians as a herald, and Thomas to the Indians. When they returned, saying that they had suffered many hardships and that no one was willing to accept his doctrine, the most impudent of all men dared to name himself Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and to say that another Paraclete had been sent. Taking twelve disciples with him, he arrived in Mesopotamia, traversing the kingdom of the Persians. For, boasting that he would heal the king’s son, he brought greater evils upon him, ^D and because he was cast out from there as an obvious anti-god, and again took over Persia, he was seized by the king and underwent the Persian punishment. For after being stripped of his skin, he was given as food to dogs. Such was the end for the impious one. For if anyone...

should wish to pursue his trifles, he would have need of very many books. ^A For he gathered and heaped together these false and impious dogmas, compounded from myriad heresies long since extinguished, and vomited them forth from Persia upon our inhabited world like some deadly poison. Such doctrines the most crafty serpent instilled into the souls of men; such were the leaders and commanders of whom he made use when drawing up his battle line against the truth. But the Lord most easily refuted the lie, and dissolved the band of its advocates like a spider's web. Against this heresy, Titus, bishop of Bostra, and Diodorus, bishop of the metropolis of Cilicia, fought strenuously with their writings. George of Laodicea also wrote against it, a man who indeed defended the Arian heresy but was excellently educated in philosophical disciplines from his youth. Moreover, there was Eusebius, the Phoenician. These things ^B are said concerning the heresy of Manes, from whom the name of the Manichaeans still adheres to many. I, however, shall proceed to the remainder of this history. For having recounted the successions of the emperors and the changes of the high priests of the great sees, and then also how many ecclesiastical writers were notable at that time; subsequently, I shall narrate how many of these remained until the siege of the churches and the persecution of the impious tyrants.

Chapter XXXIII. On the succession of the Roman emperors.

After Decius, Gallus reigned for two years. From him the empire passed to Valerian and Galienus. But when Valerian was moving in war against the Persians, since his army at Edessa was being harvested by famine more than by the sword, they stood against him. Fearing the onslaught of that nation, and considering that he could not withstand it, he feigned a desire to join battle with the enemies, but deserted to them in order to make peace and betray his own army. When the Romans perceived this, they took counsel for themselves by flight, not without the loss of many. There, therefore, he endured servitude among the Barbarians and King Sapor, and was finally slaughtered, transmitting the empire to his son Galienus. They were emperors for fifteen years and had Claudius as their successor. And he, having administered the sum of affairs for one year and ten months, left that power to Aurelian. But when he had been fraudulently slain by treachery in a new castle, ^D and had held the empire for six years, Tacitus succeeded him, who spent only six months in the imperial dignity. Under him, they say that the great Chariton completed his confession. After Tacitus, Florianus was made emperor, who, having passed three months in Roman affairs, was succeeded. And both of these were victims of the sword.

the imperial administration. But the two were put to the sword, and their reign was transferred to Probus. He held it for six years and four months, and having been killed at Sirmium, he left the supreme power to Carus and his sons, Carinus and Numerianus. But they did not hold the empire for three full years before the state of affairs passed to Diocletian. For when Numerianus, the son of Carus, had come to Antioch, ^A which is on the Orontes, it is said that he entered the church of the Christians; and while he wished to look freely, as if through a lattice, into their sacred mysteries, Babylas the bishop, standing before his face with great courage, forbade it, saying that it was not permitted for one polluted with the gore of idol sacrifices to enter so precipitously into the house of God and look upon divine mysteries with contaminated eyes. Offended by this, Numerianus tortured and killed him. Carus, meanwhile, was consumed in his own tent when it was struck by lightning. Numerianus, for his part, was killed by his own father-in-law. ^B Carinus, too, because he conducted himself basely in the empire, was slain by the people. Thus, these things having transpired, Diocletian, a Dalmatian by birth, long a senator, famous for his first consulship, and one who had performed many notable deeds of valor, being energetic in war and astute in counsel, was proclaimed emperor of the Romans by the entire army.

CAPUT XXXIV. Regarding those who presided as bishops over the greatest cities, and who remained until the persecution of the churches.

Since we have recounted the affairs of the worldly empire as far as possible, let us also review the names of those who directed the sacred steering-oars of the greatest parishes over these same times. In Rome, then, after the great Cornelius, ^C who had sufficiently denounced Novatus and refuted him with his writings, and who had led the Church for three years, Lucius was created bishop; Lucius, having performed the ecclesiastical ministry for not quite eight months, left his lot and place to Stephen. And he, having held the episcopate for two years, had Xystus as his successor. These lived under Valerian. But during the reign of Gallienus, Xystus held the episcopal office for eleven years; and Dionysius succeeded him, who performed the episcopate for eight years. Felix, his successor, presided over the Roman churches for five years, and left it to be governed ^D by Eutychianus. He, having occupied the episcopal office for scarcely eight months, had Gaius as his successor. And he held the sacred office for fifteen years and left it to Marcellinus, upon whom the persecution of the churches fell. Furthermore, in Alexandria, to that great Dionysius, who after Heraclas governed the Church for seventeen years, in the twelfth year of Gallienus, Maximus [4] succeeded. After him, when for eighteen

years he had served as priest, Theonas inherited that grade of the ministry. And after he also had served for nineteen years, Peter assumed the bishopric of those in Alexandria, distinguishing himself most excellently in the ministry for twelve full years; for three years before the persecution it was easier, but for the rest he pursued a harder life through heavy struggles, caring as much as possible for the common utility of the churches. And finally, in the ninth year of the persecution, having had his head severed by the sword, he was brilliantly crowned with the martyr’s wreath. In the Church of Antioch, after Fabius, Demetrianus held the leadership. After him Paul of Samosata succeeded. Then, when he had been expelled from his position, ^B Domnus, the son of Demetrianus, took up the ministry. This Domnus was succeeded by Timaeus. After him Cyril managed the rudders of Antioch. And after Cyril, Tyrannus obtained the bishopric; in whose time that great movement against the churches arose. In the Church at Jerusalem, after Hymenaeus, Zabdas held the priesthood. After he had slept the sleep that befits the righteous for many years, he transmitted the helm of the Church to be steered by Hermon; and he, with a life extended for many years, having excellently guarded the apostolic faith, managed the church until the persecution. These are they who, up to that greatest persecution of Diocletian and Maximian, governed the foremost churches in order by succession. These men, then, in the great cities, up to the time of the greatest persecution under Diocletian and Maximian, had carried on the priesthood in regular succession.

CHAPTER XXXV

Since there were also wise and magnanimous men in other parishes, let us speak of them briefly, as far as possible. And regarding that Gregory, famous for miracles, and Athenodorus his brother, and further concerning Firmilianus, who presided over the Churches of the Cappadocians, and also concerning Theotecnus, the bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, we have already related what was necessary. Dorotheus, however, at that time in Antioch, while Tyrannus ^D held the bishopric there, flourished as a presbyter, extremely learned in every kind of liberal art. He was so studious of piety that, for the sake of the divine Scriptures, he had excellently mastered the Hebrew language. He was a eunuch by nature from his very birth. For which reason the emperor, as having something new and unusual, took him into his own household and bestowed the honor upon him of overseeing the dyeing of purple in Tyre. He also taught the people sacred matters in public assembly, and Eusebius Pamphili declares that he himself was his auditor. In Alexandria, Pierius was famous, a presbyter by rank, who, along with his contempt for riches and his knowledge of philosophy and Greek disciplines, was held in admiration for his study and skill in sacred Letters, and for his public expositions and disputations of Scripture.

^A Theonas was then administering the bishopric there. And together with Pierius, Achillas also attained great praise in the chair of the presbyters, being placed in charge of the doctrine of the sacred Scriptures; for the right performance of which duty, his study of philosophy was of great service to him, as it brought the sincere doctrines and institutions of the Gospel most clearly to light. In the regions of Pontus, however, Melitius was of great repute; whom those who pursue Greek wisdom called the honey of Attica. It is necessary for us to say this much concerning him, that if anyone wished to describe a man most perfect in all excellent studies, Melitius would suffice for him as an absolute exemplar. For his oratorical art seemed innate. And if we admired him for that title alone, we would attribute to him less than he deserved. In other studies and doctrines of every kind, it is impossible for it to enter anyone’s mind that there could be anything beyond what he had attained. ^B For if anyone most perfect in any discipline had conferred with him about it, one would have said that he had been trained and exercised in that subject alone; and again, if anyone had treated with him of another art, one would have judged that he excelled even further in that, compared to the study in which he had previously appeared to hold the first rank. Furthermore, his virtues not only vied with such varied erudition in him, but even if he had possessed no learning at all, they would have been sufficient for him. To such a degree had he left nothing lacking in them for the highest praise and glory. It is said that he remained for seven years in the parts of Palestine during the time of the grave persecution itself.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

On the bishops of Laodicea, men illustrious in wisdom.

The sacred office of the Laodicean Church was held by Eusebius, after Socrates. ^C He, having set out from Alexandria on account of Paul of Samosata, against whom an inquiry was then being conducted, came into Syria. From there, he was prevented from returning to his own country by those who, in that place, were studious of divine things, because he was considered the greatest bulwark and pillar of religion and of faith in God in those times. Anatolius then obtained his place, a good successor to an excellent predecessor. Alexandria was his native country. His principal praise, shared by the votes of all distinguished men, was certainly his proficiency in both profane and sacred philosophy; so that he, who attained ^D the highest skill in geometry, the proportion of numbers, astronomy, dialectic, physics, and even theological wisdom itself, and all the arts of discourse, allowed no one to be his equal. He is said also to have been judged worthy to be the first to establish the Aristotelian school. It is reported that he did many excellent things at Alexandria during the time of the siege of the Bruchium, in the civil dissension and the crisis of famine, making provision for the citizens because of the scarcity of grain. And he showed the precise reasons and limits for the celebration of Pascha at the time of the equinox; and he left behind ten books of Arithmetic Institutions, and very many other things, which provide no small demonstration of his zeal for things good.

^A The first to lay hands on this man was Theotecnus, bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, who set him as bishop, designing and designating him as the successor to his own diocese; and thus both of them presided over the Church there for a short time. But when the synod against Paul called for him as well, and he was passing through Laodicea on his journey, since the man whose name was synonymous with piety had just departed this life, he was constrained by the brothers there to preside over their Church. But after a considerable number of years had passed and this Anatolius also had departed this life, the last of the faithful to be established there before the time of the persecution was Stephanus. He was a man sufficiently instructed in secular arts, but not in like manner as his predecessors in the divine Scriptures. The time of the persecution declared this, which showed this man to be timid and composed for simulation and dissimulation, and even a stranger to philosophy. And if he was such a man, should we not have thought that his church would later depart from the right confession of the faith? But, with God aiding it, it raised itself up and was confirmed. For Theodotus, who succeeded to the episcopal office after him, responded to his name by his very deeds; and by his works he showed what kind of person a bishop ought to be, being second to none in rightly caring for souls and bodies alike, and, if anyone else ever was, he was also endowed with singular humanity. Thus he tempered his pastoral zeal and duty with the accommodation of his affections and with compassion; and he diligently and faithfully procured the benefit of those who consulted him, in either one of these considerations.

^C CHAPTER XXXVII.

Concerning the bishops of Caesarea in Palestine; and concerning Eusebius of Pamphilus.

In the Church of Caesarea in Palestine, after Theotecnus, Agapius was greatly praised; that he was a good and faithful bishop, both his teaching and his life itself declared. For he went before his people rightly and piously, and with a munificent and liberal hand he benignly imparted his resources to the needy. At that same time, we know that the divine Pamphilus flourished, a Christian philosopher both by erudition and by his manner of life, and endowed with the dignity of the presbyterate. As for his life and all his actions, and the school of secular and divine philosophy which he also established there, and moreover his steadfast confession in the various persecutions, and his outstanding contests and martyrdom for the name of Christ, Eusebius, his sister's son—so dear to him that he even received his surname from him—dealt with these at length in a special writing; to whom I refer those who desire to know these things more accurately. This Eusebius, having mastered all disciplines, shone especially in the knowledge of the sacred Scriptures, in which he rested, and he lived until the times of Constantius. ^D And since he was most studious of the Christian profession, and breathed an outstanding zeal for the honor of Christ, he composed the Evangelical Preparation in fifteen volumes; and again in ten, the Evangelical Demonstration. And he was the first, in the work now in hand,

and with ten others the evangelical demonstration is comprised. And he himself first applied his hand to the present subject, and was the first to name those books Ecclesiastical History, and concluded it in ten volumes. There is also another volume of his, in which he arranged the certain and accurate reckoning of the times, and which he called the Canon. He also wrote five books on the Life of Constantine. He published yet another to the same [emperor], which he inscribed the Tricennalian. Likewise, another to Stephen regarding those things which in the holy Gospels are called into doubt or dispute. He left behind also other various writings, which bring much utility to the Church. But although he was such as this, in many things it appears he approved the opinion of Arius, in that he calls the Son ^A a creature, as it is possible to gather from his writings; although Socrates, who himself also wrote ecclesiastical matters from the Novatians, in the second volume contends and persuades strongly that the man maintains correct views, and that he is attacked by some for that name by sycophancy. And in order to prove this more certainly with great spirit, he weaves into his defense certain sayings of his, which nevertheless contain ambiguity: and he reports that he was present at the first synod, and together with others gave his vote and calculation ^B towards the consubstantial. But if indeed he embraced the correct opinion without writing, I do not gainsay Socrates; but if the matter is to be judged from his writings, which I have read, it is far from me to think his judgment concerning the faith was sound and sincere. But let these things be sufficient concerning him. And this sixth book of my histories also contains a period of thirty-two years, starting from the first year of Valerian, and ending at the beginning of the empire of Diocletian; at which time the year ^C of the world 5795 was being completed, and from the divine birth of our Lord Jesus Christ the 290th year.

NICEPHORUS CALLISTUS XANTHOPULUS ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY VOLUME VII

CAPUT I. Exposition of what is to be said.

^D Hitherto our labor has been easy, and the sacred history has run along a smooth and level path. For although

^A the evil spirit has breathed against us grievously from of old, yet that calamity was simple and uniform. But now the pen shrinks from proceeding to what follows; for it is interrupted, and in a manner hindered by the immense and violent surge of varied disasters; and like the sea, it ^B is flooded and checked by the inundation of the blood of the martyrs flowing as it were in a torrent, nor is it permitted to keep its course. But since we have once set our hands to this work, we must necessarily proceed. Therefore, having related earlier events as best we could, in this book we shall also follow the deeds under Diocletian and those whom he adopted with him into the empire. For under them the greatest of all persecutions was aroused. We shall also touch upon the calamities that happened in certain places, though not many, and we shall mention some even individually. Then, how the most cruel tyrants, who exercised against us a severity beyond measure, were brought to a palinode and the recantation of their tyranny, and finally perished in destruction. Furthermore, we shall relate how the great and most mighty Constantine, with God favoring, equipped with saving armor and armed with the sign of the invincible cross, purged all regions and lands of the tyrants, those brigands, and eradicated the nefarious superstition of the Greeks; and how our affairs, which were exceedingly inclined and already threatening ruin, he restored with an assisting hand and confirmed them to remain forever by the will of the divine power. And the matter stands thus.

CAPUT II.

There was once a time when the Christian profession stood fair, and was held in honor for its glory and liberty, being acceptable and welcome to Greeks and Barbarians alike, because the preaching of the divine word flourished everywhere throughout the earth. Certain proofs of this exist, such as the extraordinary benevolence and humanity of great princes toward our people, and certain nations whose provinces were given to Christians to administer: likewise the Roman emperors themselves, and all the greatest magistrates, who entrusted their courtly and domestic affairs to our people to be managed. For they judged that these men, on account of their ^D outstanding and proven faith, ought to preside over others and excel in honor and dignity. That famous Dorotheus declared this clearly, who held no one among all the magistrates and prefects as his equal in honor, because of his integrity of mind and faith; and the illustrious Gorgonius, and others equal to them, who were even promoted to the highest honors on account of the sincerity of their faith. And through such men as these, no little help and consolation came to the bishops of the churches everywhere in all places. This is also shown by the gatherings and assemblies of many thousands of men held in houses of prayer; which oratories, since they could not contain the vast multitude flowing into them on account of their narrowness, one could see, from small beginnings and foundations, in

^A august splendor, and of admirable size and magnitude, being built and constructed in all places. These, in the process of time, received even greater additions, since there was no one who would forbid them from being built and expanded, or who would destroy them through fascinating envy. Thus the heavenly hand protected them, and willed that they be placed outside the risk of all snares.

But after, through our great liberty, we turned our profession of faith into softness and languor, and stimulated by envy, we began to arm ourselves against one another, and using prayers and writings in place of spears and darts, we basely stirred up vile seditions: and consequently, a certain simulation and dissimulation invaded the Church as far as it could, and malice received greater strength, the eye of God, after its custom, visited us by chastening us kindly, and paternally restrained us. And at first, indeed, the troubles began from the brothers who pursued camps and military service. As we were still far from sensing these things, so far were we from considering how to appease the anger of God that was rightfully upon us, that we even accumulated every kind of malice and other sins on top of our former transgressions: just as if there were no one who considered and looked upon these things, or who demanded an account of all these matters.

Furthermore, those who seemed to be the pillars of our religion, and who bore the pastoral office, having cast aside divine sanctions and laws, lapsed into a zeal for contention, and being more vehemently incited against one another by a certain ardor, they severely increased discord upon discord, and mutual hatreds more and more, vindicating ambition and the desire to dominate, and drawing things to themselves in a contentious manner after the fashion of tyrants. ^B Then, truly, we saw those things happen which Scripture relates: *The Lord obscured in his anger the daughter of Sion, and cast down from heaven to the earth the glory of Israel. He destroyed all her walls, and overturned the covenant of his servant. And by desecrating them, he threw down to the ground, through the demolition of the churches, his sanctuary*, and the rest that follows. For the temples were torn up from their very foundations and leveled to the ground; and the sacrosanct scriptures were burned in the middle of the forum. Those, however, who excelled in honor among us, running here and there, consulted their own safety by flight. Others, moreover, captured in their flight, were a mockery to those who insulted us. When also, according to another prophet, *Contempt was poured out upon princes, and he made them wander in a pathless place, and not a way.*

But it is not for our discourse to pursue these things, except to indicate the divine judgment, and to attribute praise to his justice, because it proceeds with a certain and equitable reason toward all. But having now omitted these things, we will move forward to the sacred struggles of the martyrs, intending to set them forth briefly. First, however, we shall say how the affairs of the Roman empire stood.

CHAPTER III

Diocletian, as has been said, having received the empire, when he had decided to wage war against Christ, such as there had never been before, knowing the noble endurance and counter-struggle of the martyrs of Christ—since ^D toward such men and so many

^A of those excellent warriors he saw that his struggle would be, he thought it his first duty to strengthen himself, and thus at last more confidently to enter the fray. Having found a man equal to himself in disposition and cruelty, Maximian Herculius, he associated him with himself to administer the empire with equal power. With this such excellent pair of tyrants, wholly adapted and well-suited to himself, the enemy of our faith made the greatest use of him; like a bird of prey, he flew over the earth which is under heaven, seeking to bring everyone under his power and to pluck out the name of Christ from them, as they say, from the very foundations.

Indeed, at first he did not launch the persecution against us with a single sudden assault, but rather—if one might say so—insidiously and clandestinely. From the beginning, therefore, he made a trial of his plan by afflicting the Christians in the army and the camps. For he easily thought that the enterprise he had begun would succeed for him if he could overcome them by degrees, in a certain way, and craftily manage them. And many of the military order, on account of their distinguished piety toward the divine majesty, preferred private life to any honors whatsoever. For after the one who was the examiner and purifier of the army—who was also the author of the persecution—offered that choice to the Christian soldiers, that they should either obey the orders given and partake with others in holding honors, or, ^B contemning the authority of the imperial constitutions, leave the military service, very many of Christ’s soldiers then cast away that which appeared to be prosperity, prepared not only to lay aside their rank and honor but even up to meeting death, if the adversary should press them more harshly. This, indeed, was perceived from the beginning in one or two cases. For the author of this insidious enterprise dared that but rarely. For he still deferred for a time, as if through a certain slackness, to lead the struggle that had been started all the way to the shedding of the faithfuls’ blood, and at the same time to excite a war against everyone.

But as he laid himself bare, and threw his whole self into the persecution, it cannot be explained by any speech how great a multitude of most courageous martyrs of Christ was displayed everywhere, in almost all places and towns. For first, imperial edicts were carried around and proposed everywhere, ^C that temples should be leveled to the ground, that divine Scriptures should be committed to the flames, that magistrates and those holding honors should be demoted with ignominy, and that servants who abjured Christianity should be granted their freedom. And these things were indeed contained in the first writings. Then, after a short interval, other edicts were proposed, by which it was commanded that the presiding leaders of the churches, wherever they might be, should be bound in chains, and that necessity should be imposed upon them, in whatever ways possible, to sacrifice to demons.

CAPUT IV.

On the character of the saints who fought bravely in that persecution.

Then it was possible to see many of that number ^D enduring incredible tortures with most steadfast firmness. There were also some who, by the numbness of their souls, were weaker and gave way to the first terror. And indeed various kinds of punishments were proposed. For one man was being scourged over his whole body...

and another was bound and racked, and endured the claws as they penetrated deeply. To this torment some even succumbed, while others struggled with their sufferings in different ways. Some were brought by force and led to the impure sacrifices, and although they had not sacrificed, they were let go as if they had done so. Others were found who had not even set eyes on the abominable sacrifices, but because it was said by others that they had sacrificed, they went away, concealing this fraud and calumny in silence. Someone, still breathing and dying, was cast aside as if he were already entirely dead, and as others dragged him by the feet, they seized him as if he were about to sacrifice with the rest. Someone else, shouting with a great cry and casting off the deceit and calumny from himself, persisted in affirming that he had not sacrificed at all. For some, it was a source of honor that they continued to proclaim themselves to be Christians. Another man consistently maintained that he neither had sacrificed nor would ever sacrifice. But not even these were free from evils; for the soldiers, beating their mouths, jaws, and faces with their fists, struck them and repelled them, ordering them to be silent. So much so that not only if they had accomplished what they wished, but even if they merely appeared to have done so, those plagues did the most. But these things had no place against the true and genuine champions and combatants of piety; the accurate and full commemoration of whose constancy and fortitude no speech can possibly perform.

CHAPTER V. Concerning the Christian who tore up the impious edict of the emperor at Nicomedia; and concerning those who, from the emperor's own court, reached the end of their martyrdom.

^B A certain man from among the more celebrated, who had attained to great honors, when he heard at Nicomedia that the edict against piety was being read, confirmed by divine zeal and inflamed with a vehement emulation in his soul, snatched that writing—which was as dire and abominable as it had been publicly posted—and tore it into the tiniest pieces, while indeed both emperors were present in the city. When this deed was committed, just as if it were the most audacious and greatest crime, he paid the most grave penalties that it was likely he would endure, and to his very last breath, openly, in the midst of the highest and most exquisite torments, he magnificently displayed that free, noble, and constant spirit which he had previously possessed. After him, the domestics and household members of the emperors—Petrus, Dorotheus, Mygdonius, and Gorgonius—who were the most outstanding in the praise of fortitude among all who have ever been celebrated among Greeks and Barbarians, although they flourished with such abundant favor and esteem among their masters that they were no less dear to them than genuine sons, yet they held all those things account as nothing, as well as the rest of the stage-play of this life, because they had chosen to suffer for Christ, and to bring a new readiness and alacrity of soul to the new tortures of the executioners. For Petrus, having been seized, was dragged through the middle of Nicomedia. ^C When he was ordered to, he was raised up naked and hung high, and was mercilessly ^D beaten, so that even if he were forced against his will, he might renounce what he denied. But even as he still resisted more nobly than the rest, having endured such things as it was likely he would...

already revealing his bones, the torturers poured vinegar mixed with salt onto his members that were wasting away and rubbed them in. Yet even when he had surmounted this torment, a fire was prepared and a gridiron was placed over it; he was laid upon this, and so his flesh, like other meat for food, was little by little roasted and fried by the fire. And the executioners affirmed that they would not remit any of such great punishments until he had done what was commanded. But he, being wholly intent on this, that he might manfully resist them, passed away in the very midst of such great torments, adorned with the victor's crown. And he indeed thus finished his martyrdom. But the rest perhaps endured no fewer torments, which for brevity’s sake we omit, and only add this, that after many insupportable tortures they finally ended their lives with a noose. All these, having obtained the rightful funeral rites and burial, were afterward dug up and cast into the sea, so that, as it was said, being laid in tombs, they might not be judged to be gods.

CAPUT VI. Concerning the blessed death of the twenty thousand martyrs in Nicomedia: and concerning Indes the eunuch, and Domna, martyrs.

After this, the virgin Domna and Indes, the most faithful of the eunuchs, were brought to trial. ^C For after they had obtained divine grace through the instruction and labors of Anthimus, the bishop of Nicomedia, they spent whatever favor they had in the imperial court on the sustaining and care of the poor. And when Diocletian had undertaken a military expedition against the Ethiopians, the prefect of the eunuchs, to whom the care of the city had been entrusted, having learned of the profession of faith in Christ held by Indes and Domna—who had been a priestess of the idols in the court of the princes—cast them into prison. There, Domna, by distorting her face in pretense, feigned that she was possessed by a demon; and for this reason she was handed over to bishop Anthimus, whose reputation for exceptional power against demons was great. When the emperor returned and learned of this matter, he immediately ordered the eunuch to be struck with an axe; and he vented all his fury against the ascetics and stirred up a persecution against us most alien to any humanity. At which time many maidens, who there by pious studies strove to preserve their virginity, most resolutely ran the race of martyrdom. Among whom was also Glycerius, holding the first rank among the presbyters, who, after he had egregiously conquered various torments and had been flayed over his entire body with ox-sinews, was at last consumed by fire. Very many senators also, and noble men who had been enrolled in the military orders, were slaughtered; to all of whom no other crime was imputed than that of true piety. But when the festival day of Christ’s nativity arrived, ^D

^A and a multitude of every age, which is reckoned in the name of Christ, had gathered in the temple to celebrate his birth, the tyrant, as if having found a favorable time and a lucrative occasion by which to fulfill his madness and fury, sent those who would close the temple and set fire to it round about. A herald was present there who proclaimed with a clearer voice that whoever wished to live should go out from the temple and burn incense on the nearby altar of Zeus; otherwise, if he did not do this, he would be consumed by fire together with the house itself. Then, in the temple itself, a certain man, becoming the mouthpiece for all that multitude, replied with notable freedom and uttered that most beautiful voice: "We are all Christians; we believe that Christ is the one and only God and King; and we are readily prepared to offer sacrifice to Him, and to His Father, and to the all-holy Spirit." Scarcely had he spoken these words when the fire was kindled, which in a moment of time encompassed the whole church and reduced all those, filling the number of about twenty thousand, to ashes. Thereafter also, the blessed Domna, after many torments bravely endured, had her head cut off by the sword. But the divine Anthimus was first most cruelly beaten, his ankles were pierced with awls glowing with fire; he was placed upon broken potsherds, beaten with rods, shod with brazen sandals made white-hot, tortured with cords and other instruments of torment, burned with torches, and at the last struck with an axe. ^B

Chapter VII. On the martyrs of Melitene, Egypt, Tyre, and Phoenicia.

These things were done thus at Nicomedia at the beginning of the persecution. But things were no less grave in the city of Melitine ^C (for imperial decrees were being circulated which ordered the pastors of the churches to be enclosed in prison). And there was everywhere a miserable and heavy state of affairs, in that many thousands were being dragged and hauled away on every side. And the prisons, which had previously been prepared for murderers, grave-robbers, and thieves, were filled with a choir of presbyters and deacons and all those of that order; so that now there was no room in the prison for evildoers, brigands, and other condemned men. And not long after, other letters arrived: that those who would sacrifice to the gods while in custody should go free; but those who refused to do so should be afflicted with every kind of evil. ^D But indeed, who at last, who reads such things, could number the great crowd of martyrs? Those who strived mightily throughout every province, especially in Africa and the nation of the Moors, and further in the Thebaid and in Egypt; from whence some also, departing into other cities, displayed there their endurance and constancy for Christ. Whose alacrity, if one should see it, would one not admire with stupefaction, and the tortures far exceeding in number, and most especially, after all these, the struggle with wild beasts? For leopards, bears, wild boars, and bulls—certain ones having been branded with iron and fire—were savagely unleashed; and in each one it was possible to behold the wonderful steadfastness of the noble martyrs. And it was a wonder to behold how those man-eating beasts, pressed by hunger...

^A, would not dare to touch the bodies of the martyrs; but rather, the beast-keepers, standing outside the arena, would incite them against the pious and God-beloved men. They would rush forth with much hissing and vehemence, yet they would not at all approach the holy athletes, even though they stood with naked bodies, drawing the beasts toward themselves with their hands. And if at any point they did rush toward them, even approaching as closely as possible, they would suddenly be repulsed as if by some power, and would retreat backward. This fact indeed filled the men [the spectators] with consternation. For though many beasts were often set upon a single martyr, their keepers would depart with their purposes unfulfilled. No less astonishment did the unbroken spirit of those brave martyrs stir, and the aged steadfastness of some in their still incomplete youth. For one could see there a young man not having completed his twentieth year, free of bonds, extending his hands in a straight line in the form of a cross, ^B and with an undaunted and unmoved heart, quietly occupied in prayers to God; neither moving himself, nor bending his knees, while the beasts breathed cruelty around him and roared dreadfully, and were already on the verge of invading and tearing his divine flesh. Yet their mouths were stopped by heavenly bridles, and they were, as if by chains, drawn back toward those who stood behind them. You might have seen another set before a bull, which threw into the air others from among the faithless spectators, leaving them half-dead when he had struck them with his horns, yet as he approached the martyr in a threatening and fierce manner, he was unable even to graze him, but would only mildly attack him with his horn, and lick his feet with his tongue, and would, as it were, depart out of reverence. And when many such beasts were sent against the martyrs, and the same had happened to all of them, the executioners themselves finally despaired, and after many tortures and another swarm of ^C cruelties inflicted upon them, they cruelly slaughtered them all with the sword, and contrived the sea as a tomb for them. And these are the struggles of the noble athletes of Egypt who contended at Tyre.

CHAPTER VIII.

Regarding the martyrdoms endured in the Thebaid; and the manner of the various punishments.

But as for those who suffered martyrdom in their own land, who could recount their number, or explain the many and various kinds of torments? ^D Since very many, together with their wives and children, surrendered life itself for the sake of Christ, and encountered various forms of death. Some of these, after iron claws, scourges, racks, and other tortures at the mere mention of which the mind shudders, having bravely endured them through the strength of the present moment, were finally consumed by fire. Others—an innumerable multitude—were placed onto boats and cast into the depths of the sea. Still others courageously offered their necks to those wishing to cut off their heads. Others were destroyed by famine; others were impaled, some suffering a death equal to that of criminals, while others—the reverse—were fastened head down, dreadfully [prolonging] their life...

until they died of hunger. It is not easy to describe in words what the holy martyrs endured throughout the Thebaid. For the executioners tore their bodies with potsherds instead of claws, as long as life remained in them. And certain women, hoisted aloft on machines by one foot, head downward, were suspended like sacrificial victims; nor did they preserve even the modesty that nature dictates, but presented to all who saw them a spectacle of utter inhumanity and cruelty. Others, bound to the branches of trees, died; for the stronger boughs, being brought together by a certain artifice, would pull apart the limbs of the martyrs tied to them, and then, upon being released to their natural position, would suddenly tear asunder the limbs to which they were fastened. And all these things were not done for a short time, but this calamity endured for many years. ^B For by tens, and thirties, and twice that number, and sometimes even by the hundred, men, young boys, and women were put to death daily by various tortures, enduring their destruction in droves, as if by a single plague; so that the blades of the swords would grow blunt from the continuous stain of blood and fail to cut any longer, and the executioners, exhausted and weakened, would take on others as their successors. But one could observe in our people a great cheerfulness and a vivid ardor of faith in Christ; for even before judgment had scarcely been passed by the judge against those who had been taken, others would come flooding in from all sides, confessing themselves to be Christians, leaping before the tribunal, neither looking upon the bitterness of the tortures nor shrinking at all ^C, but contending for Christ with fearless boldness, approaching the final sentence with great joy—in so much that, with thankful tongues, they sent up to God, even until the very end, hymns and praises in measured rhythm.

CHAP. IX. Of the illustrious martyrs, Philoromus and Phileas; and the things perpetrated by the impious against the Christians at Alexandria.

And all the champions of piety are indeed worthy of admiration; but far more excellent are those who, having attained renown in wealth, lineage, glory, and the studies of wisdom, thereafter set them at second place because of their desire for Christ. Such was that Philoromus, who had been entrusted by the emperor with the highest office in Alexandria, and who, ^D with a splendid retinue of soldiers, stood daily at the tribunal to plead causes according to the Roman custom, in keeping with his dignity. And there was also Phileas, another, the bishop of the church of the Thmuites, who was famous for discharging his civil duties in a proper and decent manner, but was most excellent in philosophical studies. Therefore, when his kinsmen, friends, acquaintances, and others holding high offices, and even the judge himself, pleaded with them to spare themselves and to have compassion for the sake of their wives and children, they could in no way be induced

to swear away their reverence. But both of them, with a philosophic, or rather a God-loving, firmness of soul, stood against the insults brought upon them by the judge, and in the end they also bore the death by the sword with nobility. And since the account previously noted that Phileas surpassed many others in the power of his eloquence, let him appear himself; let him describe at once the martyrdoms that took place in Alexandria, and at the same time serve as an exact witness to himself through his own words, which he wrote while still in bonds, before he received his final sentence, to the people under his care. For having sufficiently praised the martyrs for their zeal toward God and the way in which they had Christ as their model, he adds these things: "Wherefore, having also emulated the greater gifts, the Christ-bearing martyrs endured every labor and all kinds of tortures, not once, but some even twice. And as for all manner of threats, when the military guards with ambitious ferocity strove against them, brandishing them not only in words but even in deeds, they did not cause them to retreat from their settled purpose, because perfect love casts out fear. And as for their virtue, and their constancy in all the tortures, what speech would be able to recount it? For since authority was granted to all those who wished to insult them, some were beaten with clubs, others with rods, others with scourges, and others again with leather straps and ropes. And the various spectacle of the torments held much labor and distress. For these men, with their hands bound behind their backs, were hoisted onto the wood, and by certain machines all their limbs were stretched. Then, upon the bodies stretched in this way, the executioners, according to the prescription and command of the judge, not as is customary against murderers, on the flanks alone, but also upon the belly itself, and on the shanks and jaws, they inflicted torments variously and cruelly. ^B Others, bound by one hand, were suspended from the portico, having a stretching of their joints and limbs more grievous than any pain. Others were bound facing the columns, not standing on their feet but forced by the weight of their own bodies, with their bonds being drawn tight with tension. And they endured this, not only as long as they were being questioned, nor only while the governor himself was at leisure, but almost throughout the whole day. For when he moved on to others, he left behind with the former ones those who served his authority, so that if any had been overcome by the torments and seemed to be retreating from their resolve, they might be there in his stead. And he commanded them also to bind them tightly with the chains, and then, when they were faint, to lay them upon the ground and drag them here and there. For no trivial care remained in their minds for us; but they devised and applied such torments that they in no way took second place to those which some had once found to be most cruel against their enemies. There were also some who, even after the tortures, were laid upon the wood, having both feet stretched apart by the four openings, so that of necessity they were supine upon the wood, unable to bear the wounds from the blows over the whole of their bodies. Others, having been thrown to the ground, lay under the unceasing onset of the tortures, presenting a sight more terrible to those who saw them than the action itself, bearing on their bodies varied and different inventions of torments. With these things being so, some died in the torments ^{C D}

^A striking shame into their adversaries by their constancy; others, shut up in prison half-dead, died after a few days, constrained by their pains. Some, however, having been restored by the care of physicians after the tortures, and detained for a longer time in custody, became even more courageous. Therefore, when it was commanded, with the option proposed, that either by touching those dire sacrifices they might be free from every molestation and obtain from them the liberty which they already had of themselves, or, if they did not sacrifice, they should receive capital sentence: they, delaying nothing, went most willingly to their punishment. For they knew what oracles are proposed and prescribed to us in the divine Scriptures; for, "He who sacrifices to other gods," it says, "shall be utterly destroyed," and again: "There shall be no other gods for you besides me." These things Phileas, no less a lover of God than of wisdom, recounts thus, exhorting his church so that it might most tenaciously retain true piety ^B.

Chapter X. Of a certain city of Phrygia which suffered martyrdom in its entirety: and of the martyr Adaucus.

But what need is there to recount in detail the brave deeds and new contests of the martyrs beloved of God, which they underwent throughout the whole world, when it is possible to bring forward other matters through which we might more easily prove both the savage cruelty of the tyrants themselves and the incredible affection and piety of the glorious victors toward Christ? For they did not just one or two, or even several in a group, but a whole city in Phrygia—that is to say, all the citizens together with their wives and children—which armed soldiers surrounded and, having set fire to it, acted the work of fire. The crime was that both the prefect and the magistrates and all their people called upon Christ, and were less than obedient to those who had ordered them to worship idols. A certain man, also, named Adaucus, having fulfilled all honors, and born in an illustrious position among the Italians, and who through the magistracies and dignities which he had held in great number had arrived ^C at the sublimity of Master of Offices, but who in piety and confession of God easily excelled all others, for that very office received the crown of martyrdom.

Chapter XI. Of very many other martyrs who suffered martyrdom in diverse ways.

But what does it avail to recount the martyrs themselves one by one, or even to inquire into their number, or finally to pursue with the pen such varied species of punishments? Since the greater part of them were struck with the axe, as happened to those in Arabia; for others, their legs were broken, just as happened in Cappadocia; some were suspended by one foot ^D into the air, with their head lowered toward the ground, being...

^A suffocated by the smoke rising from the material, as we have read occurred in Mesopotamia. Others had their noses, lips, and ears cut off, and even their hands and feet amputated, and were sliced into pieces of flesh like sacrificial victims; which is what Alexandria witnessed. But who could recount the punishments in Antioch? There, fires and grids were prepared, not to accelerate death instantly, but to roast the bodies of the martyrs little by little, stretching out the tortures and penalties for a long time. There were even those who would sooner thrust their right hands into the burning fire than touch the execrable sacred rites and sacrifices. There were also those who precipitated themselves from high places rather than face the danger of the torments, hastening to meet a swift death rather than be caught in the snares of the impious. ^B Truly horrible and unbearable to the ear are the things which others suffered in Pontus. For some, their nails were pierced with sharp reeds at the tips of their fingers. Others received molten lead, heated by fire, and boiling pitch upon their shoulders and backs. Some endured foul tortures, which should be covered in silence, upon those parts that are not honorably named; these noble and brave men, with a truly philosophical spirit and a certain pious ambition, demonstrated against the newly invented torments a superabundant constancy, establishing a noble contest with new prizes against foul and shameful punishments. But after the new artificers of these monstrous torments had been overcome and exhausted by the slaughter, and filled to satiety, as if by a torrent, with the flowing blood of the martyrs, they finally turned to an ^C adumbrated and feigned goodness, so that, at least to appearance, they might not seem to behave toward us so inhumanely and cruelly anymore. For they said that cities should not be defiled by the gore of the populace, nor should the kindness of the emperors be calumniated by such inhumanity; rather, the benevolence and clemency of the imperial power should be extended to all. Wherefore, it was provided by edict that Christians should not be put to death, as if this were the same as setting a limit and end to penalties and tortures. Yet it was commanded that the eyes of our people be dug out, and one foot cut off. For in this way, they thought, their inhumanity would appear more humane, and milder in its vengeance. It was truly brought to pass by this kind of humane inhumanity of the impious ^D that it is now impossible to embrace in words how great was the multitude of those whose right eyes were first cut out with iron, and then fire was injected into the very wound, so that they wandered hither and thither like lost souls; or how great was the number of those who, having had their left feet violently burned with a heated iron tool, dragged them behind them, having become a useless weight upon the earth; furthermore, those who were most inhumanely condemned to the mines throughout the provinces, not for any need or use, but so that they might be vexed there with the greatest hardships. Others, moreover, endured other different afflictions, which it is very difficult to recount, because their struggles and contests surpass all speech.

CHAPTER XII. Of the virgins of Antioch who were excellent in beauty, and how they modestly ran the race of martyrdom.

CHAPTER XIII. Of other virgins and monastics, famous for both modesty and martyrdom.

-^Athough one keeps the mind strengthened in faith, ^BI judge that one should permit the flesh to suffer the insults and abuse of the wicked. Having learned of her husband’s counsel, and her mind still wavering on either side, yet ultimately resolving to keep both safe, she followed where she was led. And when she was already shut in the same room with the wicked youth, she deceived him with a certain trick. She confessed that she was a sorceress, and promised to provide him as a reward for her immunity a drug that would ensure he would never die; by anointing himself with this in the stresses of warfare, he would remain invulnerable to iron. "And if you wish to see a test of what is spoken," she said, "I will provide it for you instantly, most clearly." And he immediately gave permission for the drug to be prepared. Then she, truly wise, having melted wax with oil and worked it with her hands, anointed and smeared it around her throat. When she had finished this, she bade him strike her neck with his sword with whatever strength he could, so as to test the power and efficacy of the remedy. And he, having swung the sword with all the might he could muster, cut off her blessed head.

Similarly, another virgin, given over to lustful men for shameful intercourse, told those coming to her that she had a putrid and contagious ulcer on her hidden and private parts; she begged them to spare themselves, lest by sexual congress they also contaminate themselves with such an evil. Having delayed the time of the shameful congress, she promised to be in their power as soon as she had recovered her complete health. In this way she deceived the insane lovers, and God preserved her chastity by such a stratagem, and she thereby freed herself from them.

For another young man, under the pretext of lust and wantonness, approached a procurer of harlots, and bought a night with his girl for five gold coins. Having entered to her, he threw his own tunic over her, and bade her go out well-covered so that she might not be recognized; but he, having put on her clothes, was discovered, and suffered the penalty of death. ^CAt the same time, a certain ascetic, diligently meditating upon chastity and other virtues through pious devotions, contended in an equal struggle. Since he could not be conquered at all, and had left his adversaries with no hope of victory, after numberless torments he was placed on a bed, bound in chains; and an impudent woman was sent in to him. She, embracing him, kissing him, and petulantly applying her hands to his secret parts, incited him to an illicit act with the utmost shamelessness, leaving out absolutely nothing of lasciviousness and enticement. He, having nothing else to do, bit off his own tongue, and having chewed it into pieces with his teeth, spat it into the face of the harlot. And thus, for himself, he provided sharp pains in place of pleasure, and for that shameless woman, disgrace and shock combined with disgust, and he rose superior to her violent assault. Having risen above this, he sealed his life with martyrdom after a short while. ^D

CAPITULUM XIV. Concerning Saint Panteleemon, and Saint Eustratius, and his company, and other great martyrs.

In the same period, Pantaleon, who was also named Panteleemon, became renowned. By his words, his deeds, and his miraculous wonders, he exalted and glorified Christ. By his deeds, for he withstood ^A intolerable tortures with fortitude; he fought against cutting iron, molten lead, and a wheel that crushes limbs. While floating on the surface of the sea, he dragged a millstone with him as if it were a light feather, leaping amid the waves just as if he were on dry ground. He was superior to wild beasts and swords, together with Hermolaus the priest, Hermippus, and Hermocrates; and thus, though loosened from the body, he was united and joined in spirit. By his words, for while speaking of God, he put the adversary to shame. In this same year, Clement, the bishop of Ancyra, along with Agathangelus, began his preeminent martyrdom. For he completed his glorious course for Christ in twenty-eight years. Indeed, of all those from the beginning of time who have engaged in the struggle for Christ—those who were tormented by fire and iron, by stones and wood, and furthermore those who were distressed by wild beasts and long-term imprisonment, and who fought in various ways, consumed on land, in the air, in the waters, on precipices, and by burnings, and who departed this life through other contrivances—in my opinion, this holy man Clement, and Agathangelus with him, excelled them all. First in Rome, and afterward ^B in Nicomedia, as they struggled against a succession of torturers who surpassed others in cruelty—to the point that they exhausted every device of torture imagined by them—they were finally struck down by the sword and exchanged this life for the immortal one. And how could I rightfully pass over Eustratius and his company? He originated from the region of Arabraca, a land bordering on the Armenians. In the philosophy of Greek learning, he was second to none. While secretly learning our own profession, he openly served Lysias, the prefect of the East, who was performing the slaughter of pious men there at the command of the impious emperors. This man, then, being a scriniarius, or scribe of the ducal order, seeing the noble steadfastness of the martyrs, was struck in his heart with zeal. He did not wait for other accusers, but denounced himself. Wherefore, exposing the madness and vanity of the impious, ^C he was stretched out in the air and harshly beaten; his entrails were burned with fire; he was drenched with salt and vinegar; and furthermore, he was rubbed with potsherds so that his whole body appeared as one single wound. But by divine impulse, the brotherly body was restored as if scales had fallen away, and the body appeared sound as it was before. His like-minded companion Eugenius approached him in the arena. As Lysias set out for Nicopolis, they were led along by violent drag-ropes. And there indeed Mardarius was also led—

^A Auxentius was beheaded, but Mardarius, suspended on high by his ankles, perforated and pricked with glowing bodkins, and furthermore burned with torches, finished his life. Eugenius, however, because he had inveighed against the impiety, had his tongue cut out, and then, his hands and feet having been broken, he passed away. The wise Eustratius, having been led off with Orestes to Agricolaus at Sebaste, were both offered up as a burnt offering to the Lord through fire. Furthermore, the manifold and varied tortures of Eulampius and Eulampia in the city of Nicomedia; those of Anastasia, who was mutilated in her limbs at Rome; and those of the other of the same name, whom, after other tortures had been endured, fire at last consumed; and, moreover, the most noble martyrdoms of Agape, Irene, and Chionia are not to be passed over in silence. Just as neither is the fortitude of Sergius and Bacchus, those ^B truly illustrious victors, which was preserved even unto the end; of whom one was finished off by the lethal beatings of clubs, and the other by the sword. But as for the innumerable others, who could even recount their very names or the types of their martyrdoms?

CHAPTER XV. On the most celebrated martyrs, George, Procopius, and Demetrius the Myrrh-strimmer.

During these same times, George—that great name among these contestants and the leader of the chorus of martyrs—reaped the true fruits of the labors endured for Christ. ^C For being from Cappadocia, while still a youth and of outstanding appearance, and not yet having crowned his chin with down, he most bravely testified through his contests for Christ. For having been seized because he had vehemently inveighed against the demons and mocked the impiety of the emperors, he endured punishments most bitter and beyond the capacity of nature. For after prison and bonds, sharp claws tore into him; soon he was burned with scorching lime, stretched again upon the rack, sliced limb by limb with swords, and worn down by very many other engines of pain and torture; he sufficiently declared the noble posture of his soul and the firmness of his mind. In addition to these things, he brought to life the ox of the impostor Glycerius, and by prayer alone led Queen Alexandra, who had long since departed, from ^D the depths of Hades. And finally, he departed this life manfully, being struck with the sword. The noble Procopius, too, truly a native of Caesarea in Palestine, was at that time most illustrious among the martyrs; to him Diocletian had entrusted the ducal dignity of the East, but Christ called him from heaven as He did Paul. And he, having accepted that, but armed as some noble and brave soldier with the unassailable armor of the Cross, first arrayed himself against those perceived by the senses, and then also against those perceived by the mind; for having shattered those made of gold and silver for them, which they called gods, and having distributed them to the poor, he then clashed against those who were fighting for the spurious things...

fight. And while he stigmatized their weakness, and extolled the supernatural power of Jesus, what torments did he not bravely endure? What tortures were passed over in his case? Whose claws did not tear his skin? What flame did not prove his limbs? Whose blades and swords did not have their edges dulled against his body? ^A Having thus sent on to God a great number of these and such-like martyrs of the first rank, and having finally received the blow of the sword himself, he departed with joy to the Christ he longed for. When Herculius came to Thessalonica, he ordered Demetrius, the martyr of Christ, one of the leaders of the city, and indeed its prefect, to be kept in custody, because he had been denounced as one who professed Christ. Meanwhile, he exhibited equestrian games to the city and the people. And he brought forward into the arena a certain wrestler and champion, noble and incomparable, superior in strength and possessing irresistible power, such as characterizes martial prowess; his name was Lyæus, in whom Maximian took great pride. ^B When, therefore, he had entered the middle of the arena and there was no one who dared to grapple with that champion, a certain youth, a citizen of Thessalonica, fair to look upon, gentle and gracious in his character, and most dear to the martyr Demetrius—Nestor was his name—ran quickly to the martyr and begged that he might permit him to engage with that pugilist, and that he would strengthen his might and vigor with ^C his prayer. Demetrius blessed him, and said, "You shall conquer Lyæus, and at the same time you shall suffer martyrdom for Christ." He went into the contest, and cast Lyæus down upon the swords that had been fixed in the ground pointed upwards, and slew him. But he himself was also slain immediately by the order of the emperor, who had been enraged against him. Then also Demetrius, because he had confirmed him with prayer, was pierced by many spears in his sides and departed this life; and being cast into a nearby pit, he produces to this very day a constant fountain of ointment. These things concern the famous and illustrious martyrs. But he who wishes to know the multitude of the rest should diligently read the volume by Eusebius Pamphili, which he compiled concerning the assembly of the martyrs, in which the clearest proofs and testimonies of the ineffable virtue and power of Christ are shown.

CHAPTER XVI.

For to recount each one of them by name appears to me not only difficult, but altogether impossible. But that we may more simply relate the most illustrious of them, let there be proposed, first, as if upon a public column of true piety and in an illustrious place, Anthimus, the bishop of Nicomedia, who, by having his head cut off...

^A in a manner consistent with a life spent entirely with the greatest excellence, proved himself. Second, let there be Lucian, of Antioch, a priest of the church of that city, who both by words and deeds in Nicomedia, in the presence of the emperor, completed his noble confession. Phoenicia also brought forth proven martyrs and illustrious shepherds of Christ’s rational flock: Tyrannion, who presided over the church of the Tyrians, and Zenobius, who was a priest in the parts of Sidon. Sylvanus, the excellent bishop of the church of Emesa, having been thrown to the beasts with certain others, now enjoys the heavenly joys among the martyrs. Furthermore, in Antioch, two principal men, bearing death most courageously, offered themselves as a sacrifice to God: the one was cast into the waves of the sea, while Zenobius—the most excellent of physicians—departed this life through the torments applied to his sides ^B. In Palestine, near Gaza, Sylvanus the bishop, with thirty-nine others, was put to the sword at the copper mines of Phaeno. Other Egyptians, the bishops Peleus and Nilus, together with not a few others, received their burnt offering through fire. Among these, let the great and admirable Pamphilus of Caesarea also be numbered, whose son—as is said, though others think he was his nephew—was Eusebius, the ecclesiastical historian. As for Alexandria and all of Egypt and the Thebaid, let Peter, the bishop of Alexandria, be recorded as the first, a true canon and rule of the priestly office; and with him those who completed the same course, Faustus, Didymus, and Ammonius. In addition to these, there were Phileas, Hesychius, Pachomius, and Theodore, bishops of ^C Egypt, and countless others who were sufficiently famous, who, though not recorded in written accounts, are adorned with great praises by the people among whom they finished their martyrdom. To insert their labors and struggles into this history, however, appeared to be outside our design. It remains now to append to our account the recantation and the reversal of the cruelty that was perpetrated. Things were, indeed, previously quiet and peaceful for us under the Roman emperors, at which time the Christian profession flourished to the greatest degree in all modes; so that for ten and even twenty years, with a splendid and peaceful serenity shining most brightly, we held very frequent assemblies, enjoyed delights and pleasures, and, as it were, overflowed with secure peace, our liberty ^D growing more and more each day and taking on its own increase. Yet behold, the emperors suddenly changed their minds, and without a formal declaration, they stirred up against us that fierce and irreconcilable war, which lasted for nearly two years. But when some new and unusual thing had happened to the author and leader of that importunity and malice, he again changed everything and brought matters to an unexpected state, the affairs of the empire being divided into two parts—a thing which it is not read to have happened before that time. I, however, shall recount the change, taking up the causes from the beginning, as I am able.

Chapter XVII. How Diocletian chose as his son-in-law Maximian Galerius, and Maximian Herculius chose Constantius Chlorus, a son-in-law of imperial blood, who was the father of Constantine the Great.

Diocletian held the empire for twenty-two years in total; and in the fourth year of his reign, he chose Maximian Herculius to be co-emperor. Of these men, Diocletian took as son-in-law for his daughter Valeria, Maximin, who was also named Galerius; but Maximian Herculius gave in marriage his step-daughter Theodora to Constans, who also had the surname Procerus and Chlorus, a cousin of Claudius, who had reigned before Aurelian and Diocletian, and who at that time held the dignity of tribune. These sons-in-law, however, were both already married, but they renounced their wives for the sake of the emperors. Theodora’s brother was Maxentius, who, as we shall relate hereafter, perished at the Milvian bridge. By this Theodora, Constans had two sons: Constantius, who was the father of the impious Julian and Gallus; and Annibalinus, also called Dalmatius, the father of the younger Dalmatius; and a daughter, Constantia, who married Licinius, who was afterwards proclaimed Caesar. Galerius Maximin, son-in-law of Diocletian, also had two sons: Maximin, who held the Eastern Empire, under whom the paternal ancestors of Basil the Great, because of his most savage persecution, dwelt in desert and inaccessible mountains; and Severus, who was declared Caesar at Rome. Upon his death, the Romans granted his place to Licinius, doing a favor to Constantine, the brother of that man’s wife, who was at that time ruling with imperial power in the Gauls and Britain. For the aforementioned Constans Chlorus also brought forth from the blessed Helena another son, Constantine, to whom he bequeathed the power of the empire, as one who had well accepted the Christian faith, having cast aside the legitimate sons born to him of the seed of Theodora. ^A Indeed, such was the manner of the birth of Constantine the Great.

CHAPTER XVIII. On the birth, education, and instruction of Constantine the Great and equal to the apostles.

When those tyrants whom we have mentioned had given sufficient evidence of their irreconcilable fury against Christ, the Roman Empire was immediately overwhelmed by various and grievous plagues of divine vengeance. For the Persians and Parthians, and also the Sarmatians and several other neighboring peoples, led by Varachus, ravaged the Roman territory. The emperors who at that time held power, wishing to appease him and make him a signatory to terms of peace, sent Constans as an envoy from Rome, both to establish peace with him and to promise him annual gifts, clearly for the sake of buying off war. He, sailing from the West toward the East, reached the place which is called Drepanum, and there he pitched his tent; for Drepanum is situated by the gulf of Nicomedia, ^{B C D}

^A projecting far into the open sea. There, the desire for sexual union came upon Constans. When his host, moved by the magnificence and splendor of his retinue, learned of this, he offered him his daughter, a maiden of graceful form and of an age now ready for marriage. He had relations with her, and as the reward for their union, he presented her with a mantle interwoven with purple. That night a marvelous vision appeared to Constans, which struck him with a certain fear. On account of this, he exhorted the maiden's father to guard his daughter, who bore a certain distinguished token, more diligently in purity, and to educate with greater care whatever might be born of her. For he said that on the night mentioned, he had seen in his tent, contrary to nature, the sun rising from the western Ocean. ^B Having duly performed the business of his embassy, Constans returned to Rome by another route and was created Caesar, together with Galerius Maximinus; and not long after, each was made Augustus. Diocletian, leaving the Emperor Herculius in Rome, retired to Nicomedia. It happened subsequently that other envoys were sent to the Parthians, and they too turned aside to Drepanum. The child Constantine, who had been born to Constans by Helena, the daughter of his host, was playing a boyish game when he was offended by one of the envoys in the retinue and was very angry with him, taking his reprimands most indignantly. Then his mother revealed that he was ^C the son of Constans, and she confirmed this fact by producing that mantle adorned with purple; his very face and noble character testified sufficiently that he was his son. When Constans learned of this matter from the conversation of the envoys, he later saw to it that the boy, along with his mother, was brought to Rome in his royal train. Fearing, however, that something absurd might happen to Helena and the boy because of the jealousy and conjugal rivalry of his legitimate wife, Theodora, he sent Constantine to Nicomedia to Diocletian, who was there with his son-in-law, Galerius Maximinus. Being kindly received there, he lived in the palace with the Emperor; and having been chosen as a domestic of the schools, he studied ^D Greek disciplines and at the same time embraced Christianity.

CHAPTER XIX. How the great Constantine divinely attained his paternal empire, and what manner of man he was.

When he saw them rejoicing in Christian blood, he began to abhor their company and fellowship. They, for their part, being addicted to the superstition of the gods more than any others, and having consulted augurs and omens, secretly realized that Constantine would not only possess the entire Roman empire, but would also be the destroyer and obliterater of Greek idolatry, and that he would be a [faithful servant] of Christ and of the Christians.

Indeed, Diocletian at Alexandria in Egypt, although he had performed deeds of a noble hand during the rebellion under Achilles, attempted to do away with him, and Galerius in Palestine set snares for him. Having perceived the hidden guile held by those in power, and being guided by God who directs all things with reason, he set out from Nicomedia and crossed over to his father in Gaul, who not only called his son to him—as one who was already advocating the things of the Christians—but was also in the final breaths of his testament. He, receiving his son with great joy, dismissed all others; and raising himself up from his bed in the presence of the Senate, his children, the whole multitude, and many strangers who were present, he placed upon him the imperial insignia and the golden crown, becoming the first herald of his own son. He spoke these words to the Senate and to his son: "Now death is sweeter to me than life; now my desired end is at hand. For I possess in my son my greatest epitaph and sepulchral monument. For to leave upon the earth as emperor one who, with the divine impulse, is able to wipe away the tears of the Christians and to execute justice for the cruelty perpetrated ^B by the godless tyrants—this I consider to be the height of my happiness." Then, turning to the multitude, he bade those who had not abandoned the worship of Christ to be of good courage, for he said that he would henceforth be in arms with Constantine. For Constans had chosen to be sober amidst that great intoxication of ungodliness, and had made every effort to strengthen the cause of Christ, remaining an inextinguishable spark amidst the vast deluge of impiety. For although much pollution and civil slaughter held the world in its grip, the cities under his rule were unstained by those evils. For his sovereignty was a sheltered harbor for the practice of the pious; and as into a harbor free from waves, those who were persecuted for Christ’s sake fled thither and were kept safe. And having declared Constantine emperor, in the first year of the two hundred and first Olympiad, he departed this life happily, having lived in all fifty-six years, and having reigned gloriously for twenty-three of them; and he was, as it were, proclaimed a god among them. For he was gentle and mild, if any man ever was. Having done no harm to us, but rather having preserved us, as has been said, he received a fitting end to his ^C reign, leaving behind his successor. [alt-version omitted] ^D

who was likewise his most perfect emulator. Such were the events concerning Constantine, and thus, by the grace of God, he received the imperial power, as we shall presently show to future generations, ^A a pious child, moderate and most pious, having passed away.

CHAPTER XX

On Diocletian and Maximian, how they laid down their imperial power and perished, and who succeeded them.

Not much time passed, and Diocletian, together with his partner in imperial power, Maximian Herculius, met by agreement at Salona; and there they decided between themselves that, on one day, both would lay down their imperial power and put on the attire of private citizens. ^B As Eusebius of Palestine says, this was because they had become mentally deranged and began to lose their senses; but as other writers report, it was because they had chosen to live the life of the Greek philosophers. For, having used supreme power in ruling the empire for a sufficiently long time, and having overflowed with luxuries, and having appeared to have secured great glory for themselves, and having even substituted their own sons-in-law in their place, they turned themselves toward the philosophic life out of an extraordinary and proud ambition—thinking, clearly, that because they believed they had administered the empire in the best manner, they would also secure some glory among posterity from a philosophic life. And Herculius indeed ended his life by choking himself with a rope; but Diocletian, when he had reached nearly extreme old age, also perished miserably. Gallerius Maximinus, however, being visited by divine plagues, first developed a huge tumor over his whole body; then, as this was broken in various ways, he wasted away slowly so that his blasphemous and impious tongue, which had vomited forth iniquity on high, brought forth within his very throat a swarm of worms, which, crawling out from his mouth, filled the whole place with a most foul stench. ^C Finally, barking like a dog, he exhaled his wicked and nefarious soul with a certain violence. Gelasius, however, the bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, committed to memory in his writings that after they had laid down the empire, they were later led by repentance to desire to recover it, but were killed by a decree of the senate. There are some who say that they cast away the empire out of the madness and insanity against Christ, because they had been unable to extirpate and remove His name due to the courageous and manly witness of the noble and high-born martyrs. But when they had been destroyed in this manner, and Constantius, the father of Constantine, had departed in the Lord, in the Eastern regions at Nicomedia, Gallerius Maximinus reigned, while in the Western parts, in the Gauls, Constantine held the power, with Sapor directing the scepter of the Persians; at which time, according to the

^A Roman custom, after Miltiades, Sylvester presided over the Church. At that time, in Rome, Maxentius, son of Herculius, was proclaimed Emperor by the soldiers. Now Gallerius had designated his two sons, Maximin and Severus, as Caesars, and had assigned to one the empire of the East, and to the other that of Italy. Yet both perished at the same time: Severus, extinguished by disease, and Maximin, having departed from life shamefully in Cilicia, as he was attempting to draw his father’s dominion to himself. Therefore Licinius, the husband of Constantine’s sister Constantia, was made Caesar by Maxentius and the sacred and divine Constantine. This deeply grieved Maximian Herculius, who was at that time still only styling himself Caesar; for, being tyrannical by nature, he had snatched at the dignity and had later made himself Augustus on his own authority. And so, after his abdication, upon resuming power, he was prevented by the soldiers in Rome from carrying out his plot against his son Maxentius. Having therefore given up on that, he moved toward his son-in-law Constantine, and was weaving a trap of death for him. But having been detected by his daughter Fausta, who was living with Constantine as his wife, he was removed by the common decree of the Roman Senate, departing from life shamefully. Indeed, his images and statues, being unholy, were torn down ^B wherever they might be. So that I may return the thread of my narrative: the tyrants having been removed from the way, Constantine held the Gauls and Britain, governing his paternal realm; while Galerius Maximin occupied the East at Nicomedia; and Maxentius, the son of Herculius, acted the tyrant over Rome itself and the regions around it—and Caesar Licinius was with him.

CHAPTER XXI. Regarding the abominable deeds of Maxentius at Rome, and of Maximian Herculius at Nicomedia.

For there was no expectation that any deliverance from the cruelty of the tyrant would come. For upon the slightest pretext he would let loose his bodyguards upon the populace, mowing down a vast multitude; so that the number of those falling was beyond counting. And not a few of the senators were among those falling, as he plotted against their estates. But the climax of these evils proceeded to sorceries and conjurations, so that at one time he would rip open pregnant women, and at another time search the entrails of newborn infants. He slaughtered lions, and in wars he performed certain evocations and expiations of demons, by which he thought victory would be secured for him. Such, then, was Maxentius, who surpassed the cruelty of all tyrants to the highest degree, to the extent that there was such a scarcity of even the necessities of life in Rome as it is said had never occurred before ^B. The tyrant of the East, Maximinus, doing the same things himself, strove rather to surpass that man in most foul transgressions and to claim the first place in wickedness. For magicians and all those who engaged in sorcery were held in the highest honor by him; and being superstitious if any man ever was, and utterly immersed in the error of idols, he could not do even the least thing without consulting seers and omens. And so it happened that he undertook a most bitter persecution against us, and built temples to the gods everywhere, and appointed priests in every city and region, and over these he set a high priest for each province, some famous and illustrious man, whom he bade to be distinguished by a military guard. ^C He granted the highest offices to magicians and other impious men, as if they were friends of the gods. Hence there was an exaction of untold sums of money; he ground down his subjects with most grievous and previously unheard-of burdens. He plundered the houses of the wealthy upon the slightest pretext and cause fetched from anywhere, and he lavished their property upon his sycophants and buffoons. Being given to much wine, he left nothing undone in the way of extreme insult, insolence, and cruelty, which result from drunkenness. Wherefore, during times of sobriety, he would often be possessed by repentance for the crimes committed through drunkenness; and because he would gorge himself most excessively with carousing, he left no wickedness unattempted, and was a teacher of indecency to all his associates. Military discipline being dissolved, he was the author of the army’s decline into the pursuits of pleasure and robbery. Military commanders and provincial governors, just like partners in his tyranny, enriched themselves through arts of greed. Furthermore, the foul deeds he perpetrated while incited by lust, and the rapes ^D and... the number of those he kept as concubines, how could anyone even recount? For it was impossible to pass by any city without him having committed the ruin and robbery of women. And he performed these most terrible things not only against us, but against all his subjects. For it was not only the men among us who struggled against fire and sword, and the depths of the sea, and famine and cold, and wild beasts and the severing of limbs for the sake of piety toward God, but also the women who, being strengthened by the divine word, endured the same sufferings; and even when being led away to their ruin, they would earlier have surrendered their life than their body; as that woman who was famous and renowned for her modesty in Alexandria showed, a woman illustrious in wealth, education, and glory, [she who resisted] the wanton...

most valiantly overcame his lustful mind. For when she besought him to take her life rather than her modesty—since he was driven more by desire, which had raised him to a great hope of obtaining his wish, than by anger—he did not yield to her prayers, but seized her entire substance, which had been driven into perpetual exile, and claimed it for himself. Many others, furthermore, in most places, not even permitting themselves to be addressed on the subject of rape, endured all the harshest evils even unto death. All of these women are indeed to be admired, yet that soul, most illustrious and noble, in the city of Rome, is [pre-eminent]. For Maxentius, who had set his mind to emulate Maximin in lust, thinking and acting in all things just as he did, as if he were his kinsman and brother, had sent ministers of debauchery into the house of that woman ^C; and her husband, who held the prefecture of the city, struck with fear, had ordered her to be taken away. She, however, having gone out of the house, and having proceeded but a very short distance, obtained from those who were leading her, through deceitful pleas, permission to return to the house to assume a more refined habit and clothing. And having come to be alone there, she pierced herself with a knife. Thus she left her corpse to them; yet by such an act she sufficiently declared that, of all things, Christian virtue is the most invincible and impregnable, and that nothing is more violent than a firm and constant mind. So great was the growth of all vices and wickednesses at one and the same time throughout the East and the West, simultaneously under these two tyrants who possessed minds akin in all wickedness. I can certainly affirm with impartiality that the fact that they were shortly thereafter cast into such great peril had no other cause than the persecution which had been stirred up against us. That [virtue] truly attained its vigor and its own firmer state, when we recovered our accustomed liberty and steadfastness.

CHAPTER XXII. On the calamities that followed this persecution, and on the retraction, or recantation and repentance, of the emperors.

For when the tenth year of the persecution was already passing, they also omitted nothing that belonged either to secret snares or to open war against one another. For a war was waged between these two tyrants, and the sea became infested and unnavigable. And if it were navigated by anyone, that which...

^A awaited him was crucifixion, or death by fire; and the instruments of the lash, various tortures, the cross, and lastly the punishment of the fire were prepared. Everywhere breastplates, spears, and lances were made ready; furthermore, triremes, fleets, and all weapons of war were in readiness. Throughout all that time, in every place and province, nothing else was heard or expected than hostile incursions, slaughter, and pillage. To these evils were added famine and pestilence, of which we shall speak in their proper place. These many and great calamities, about the tenth year of the persecution, with God’s help, completely ceased and came to an end, having in fact begun to abate after the eighth year. For when the divine visitation, according to its clemency and kindness, looked upon us and regarded us, or rather, began to look upon us, those who then held supreme power changed their minds, sang a palinode and a recantation, and with very humane letters extinguished the flame of persecution that had been so greatly kindled against us. ^B And surely this did not happen by human counsel. For how could it have come from men who, driven by a certain cruel ambition, were daily inventing fresh tortures against us, yet were never satisfied with themselves? It is manifest, moreover, that this aid came to us from the divine goodness, which looked mercifully upon its own people and struck down the author of these evils, showing its wrath, more vehement and, if I may say so, more potent, against the commander of this most grave persecution. But if we concede that even this—that they raged against us to such a degree—happened by divine judgment, disposition, and permission, the divine oracle nevertheless says, "Woe to him through whom the scandal and the stumbling block comes." For immediately the vengeance of God rushed upon him, beginning indeed with his flesh, but reaching also to his soul, which was agitated by the intemperance of ^C demons. Let us hear Eusebius recount what this vengeance was: "For in the middle parts of the secret members of the body, an abscess and suppuration suddenly appeared, which soon thereafter developed into a deep, fistulous ulcer. By an incurable and spreading contagion, it consumed even his inner vitals. From this, an incredible swarm of worms issued forth, and a lethal stench arose from the whole mass of his body; which mass, owing to its excessive gluttony, had even before the disease been covered with a great amount of fat: and this, as it began to putrefy and waste away, presented a most horrible and intolerable spectacle to those approaching. And of the physicians, some were killed because they could not even endure the intensity of such a foul odor; others, because the corpulent mass swelled up even more, and all hope of safety was abandoned, and they could offer no help after everything had been examined, were killed in a cruel manner. He, furthermore, while ^D struggling with such evils, at length at some point acknowledged his impious rashness toward the pious people. Gathering his mind therefore to himself, first of all he made confession to the God of all; then, having called those about him, he commanded them without delay to cease the persecution against the Christians, and by imperial law and decree to rebuild their churches; and he ordered that they should hasten to perform their customary prayers on behalf of the Emperor, and that they should do so. And the deed following quickly upon the word, imperial edicts were spread in every city, which contained a recantation of the persecutions against us, instructing them in this manner:"

Chapter XXIII. Concerning their edicts issued in writing for the Christians.

^A Emperor Caesar Galerius Maximinus, Invictus, Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, Thebaicus Maximus, Sarmaticus Maximus V, Persarum Maximus, Germanicus Maximus, Aegyptiacus Maximus II, Carperum Maximus VI, Armeniorum Maximus, Medorum Maximus, Adiabenorum Maximus, holding tribunician power for the twentieth time, imperator for the nineteenth time, consul for the eighth time, Father of his country, Proconsul; and Emperor Caesar Flavius Valerius Constantinus, Pius, Felix, holding tribunician power for the fifth time; and Emperor Caesar Valerius Licinius, holding tribunician power for the fourth time, imperator for the third time, consul, Father of his country, Proconsul, to their own provincials, greeting.

Among the other things which we have promulgated for the use and utility of the republic, we had previously taken counsel that all things should be corrected in accordance with the ancient laws and the public discipline of the Romans, and that it should be undertaken with providence and care that the Christians, who had abandoned the institutions of their ancestors, should recover a better mind. For such a craze had seized them, ^B and such a folly had taken hold of them, that they rejected those things which had long ago been promulgated by their ancestors and perhaps even instituted by their own fathers, and, according to their own judgment, as it seemed good to each, they made laws for themselves and kept them, and in various places gathered various assemblies. And when an edict of such a kind had been proposed by us, that they should turn themselves to the worship of the institutions of their ancestors, very many of them, having encountered extreme peril and endured hardships and tortures, suffered every kind of punishment. ^C But we, seeing that many persist in their conceived dementia, and that they neither render the debt of honor to the heavenly gods nor yet worship the rites of the Christians themselves, have considered that our humanity and our perpetual custom, by which we are accustomed most willingly to grant pardon and forgiveness to all men, ought to be preserved. Therefore, it has seemed good to extend this our grace to this class of men also, so that they may again be Christians, and may perform their accustomed assemblies in their houses, provided that they commit nothing against the public discipline. ^D By other letters, however, we shall instruct the judges what they ought to observe. Therefore, since we permit this to them, they ought deservedly to pray to their God for our safety, and for that of the republic and their own, so that in all ways both the public affairs may be unharmed, and they themselves may be able to live securely in their own homes.

This was the substance of the palinode; the imperial letters were spread throughout Asia, and were read everywhere in the provinces and cities.

CHAPTER XXIV. On the simulated and faked oral decree of Maximinus in our behalf.

Maximinus, however, the tyrant of the East, who was more devoted to superstition and the worship of idols than any others, and who had determined to wage a perpetual war against the God of all things, did not approve of such a decree. Therefore, he ordered his prefects and those around him to restrain the war begun against us by word of mouth only. For he could not openly oppose the decision of his superiors; and so, in his own domain, having not even deigned to read or recite the letter, he deceitfully inhibited the persecution by an unwritten ^B command. Sabinus, who held the highest office of the prefecture under him, made known the will of his prince to the governors of the nations publicly by letter: that it had long been established and decreed that those who seemed to follow foreign customs should render their worship to the gods, and that the stubbornness of some had caused much danger. Wherefore it seemed good to the princes that if any of the Christian race were found to be observing the rites of their own people, they should be outside of danger, and for that reason not be subjected to tortures. For they had already for a long time provided such evidence of themselves, that they would not depart from their set purpose. The writing of Sabinus commanded this also to be made known to the other magistrates, that they ought no longer to be concerned about the Christians: they, indeed, believing these orders to be based on truth, made public the intent of the prince to all by letter. And these things were done not only by words and letters, but they themselves likewise immediately brought out into the open whom they had kept locked up because of the divine Word, setting them free, and they released those who had been sentenced to the mines. ^C Thinking that by doing so, they were doing a favor to their emperor. But in this matter they were greatly mistaken. When the appearance of things had been thus displayed, men immediately saw a great light suddenly arise from the deep darkness. Churches were frequented, most numerous assemblies were gathered; and every one of the nations seeing these things was struck with amazement, wondering excessively at the suddenness of the change, and crying out that the God of the Christians alone was great. As for our people, whoever had borne the struggle generously and bravely, they were in public view with great freedom and were held in veneration. But those who, through imbecility of soul, had been weaker in the struggle with evils, hastened to repair and heal their own falls through penance, grasping the right hands of those who had preserved the faith safe, imploring them to ^D entreat God to look upon them with mercy, with downcast and broken mien. Those who had been released from the mines, seeing some who were radiant and glistening, and full of boldness, departed for their homelands, filled with an ineffable joy, which it is not even easy to describe in words. Roads and highways were full of wayfarers singing hymns and songs, praising God.

over their unexpected liberty. And you could have seen those who a short while before had been violently driven from their fatherland returning with cheerful countenances to their own hearths and homes; and those who had previously roared against us, beholding the unexpected change of affairs, rejoiced together with us, offering congratulations.

CAPUT XXV. ^A On the new statue at Antioch, which Theotecnus recently erected.

In this frame of mind, however, Maximinus, the tyrant of the East, did not continue for well over six months. For how could he, who was an enemy of all that is honest, a savage and adversary of Christ, allow the flock of Christ to increase and rejoice so greatly? Wishing to break up the peace that seemed to prevail at that time, he first prohibited our gatherings in the cemeteries; then, by a certain ruse, he himself sent an embassy to himself in the name of the citizens of Antioch, the purpose of which was that no Christian should be permitted to dwell in that city, giving them to understand that they would be deeply in his favor if they appeared to do this of their own accord against the Christians. And he suggested that others also do the same. Foremost among these was Theotecnus, an impostor and a man of most depraved character, highly unworthy of his name, who was discharging the office of ^B logista, or curator, and collector of provincial taxes in that region. Having plotted much against us as if he were a leader, and having made great use of calumnies, he made it his aim to drive us away as if we were thieves and brigands. Consequently, having been the author and minister of murder for many, he finally erected a certain statue of Zeus ^C Philios (the god who presides over the forging of friendships) for the sake of incantations and impostures, and he instituted sacrifices, initiations, and other detestable things, as well as impure and impious expiations and purifications. This matter, together with the responses of that idol, eventually reached the emperor himself. Theotecnus, moreover, wishing to establish himself in the position of a spy for the emperor through base and foul flattery, stirred up the very statue against the Christians. ^D For he said that this god was angry and commanded that the Christians, as perpetual and irreconcilable enemies, be expelled as far as possible from the city and the surrounding fields. After these things were well-pleasing to the emperor, the leaders and prefects of other cities, eager to gratify him, ordained the same things against us and proclaimed them to their peoples and citizens. Nor did much time pass before the tyrant himself added his own vote and sentence to such a decree. And so a harsh persecution was stirred up against us. And local priests who were more renowned than other men throughout the cities, as well as high priests who had obtained the highest reputation and glory and were most devoted to the worship of the gods, Ma-

Maximinus established; and furthermore, his extreme superstition so stirred up the peoples subject to him to curry favor with him, that the cruelty they exercised against us defies description in words. For they supposed they would receive the greatest benefits from him, if they proved to be the inventors and ministers of insolent and outrageous actions against us. With the greatest diligence, therefore, they devoted themselves to this endeavor, so that they might harm us.

CAPUT XXVI. On the fabricated and false commentaries against Christ.

Indeed, having composed and fabricated commentaries that would not displease the architect and author of such things, and which surpassed all blasphemy and malice—containing, as it were, interrogations of Pilate and our Savior—they sent them into their own districts. With a certain letter prefixed, so that the document might be published to all, a mandate was also added that schoolmasters should propose this book to all boys to read—that in which they were to be exercised in their primary rudiments—and imbue their tender memory with such poison. While these things were happening, another person whom the Romans are accustomed to call a duke, in the vicinity of Damascus in Phoenicia, having arrested certain itinerant and wicked women, used violence and threatened them with stripes unless they would confess by written testimony that they had once been initiated into the sacred rites of the Christians, that they were privy to certain obscene crimes being committed by those who are of the highest dignity among them, and that wicked depravities were customarily performed in their sacred houses. And they devised many other things of this nature as well, by which they might slander our doctrine and profession. That duke dispatched to the emperor voices of this kind, which had been set down in a document, and these were subsequently, by his counsel, publicly set forth in all cities and places. But not long after, the instigator of such slanders, that duke, paying the price for the injuries contumeliously inflicted upon Christ, laid hands upon himself. For us, however, under him were prepared persecutions, flights, and the insults of the masses, and other matters consistent with the former ones, to such an extent that they did not reluctantly endure the final punishments of death. ^{A B C}

CAPUT XXVII. On the martyrs of that time, and the edicts promulgated against us on bronze columns.

Then indeed, in Emesa, which is a city of Phoenicia, three who confessed Christ were thrown to the beasts; one of whom was Sylvanus the bishop, now so decrepit, as he had discharged the pastoral office for forty years. At the same time, Peter, the bishop of Alexandria, a truly divine exemplar of the episcopal function, by reason of his virtue and because from his earliest age he had been exercised in the letters of the divine oracles, was seized, and without any just cause being brought against him (for Maximinus had so decreed), underwent capital punishment; and with him many other Egyptian bishops besides. Lucianus, a priest who because of his continence of life and expertise in Sacred Scripture had been brought to Nicomedia, was also there. There he, as far as the present emperor ^D nonnulli claro loco geniti magni viri capti.

^A That he defended the faith for which he contended with admirable liberty as it became a speaker, and was thrown into prison and killed. So grievous were the crimes the impious Maximinus committed against us, that he seemed to have stirred up a greater disturbance against us than the previous persecution. So great, too, was the madness of his mind, such as it is recorded to have never existed before. For the decrees of the cities and the rescripts of the imperial constitutions, inscribed upon bronze columns, were published in the middle of cities for the sake of terrifying the Christians; and for the boys going to school to their teachers, there was nothing else in their mouths all day long but Pilate and Jesus, and other things of that kind then first invented and devised for our insult: through all of which it was possible to perceive the supreme hatred of Maximinus toward God, and the most arrogant haughtiness of his wicked soul, and to marvel at the divine vengeance, which is wont to keep watch with a certain perpetual vigilance over the malice of the impious, and to follow them on their tracks. Struck by this, not long after, by a written law, he decreed something about us altogether contrary to the ^B previous pacification. But that his impiety may be plainly proven, it seemed good to insert into this history a certain part of his constitution which he caused to be inscribed upon a column. The matter stands thus: "At length the weak boldness of the human mind has driven away and dispelled the obscurity and darkness of seduction and error; which, indeed, before this time, had enveloped the senses of not so much the impious as the miserable men in the pernicious darkness of ignorance, so that they were unable to know the thing itself and the truth. But by the singular and benign providence of the immortal gods, the faithless and iniquitous (so to speak) momentum of the scale has been brought back to a just and right balance, so that all things turn out grateful, suave, and pleasant for us, and that now there exists the greatest and most certain indication of our opinion concerning the gods themselves in favor of piety. But neither was it unknown to anyone before this, with what ceremonies and sacred rites the immortal gods are worshipped by you, whom it is proper to venerate and magnify not with bare and empty words of faith, but with admirable and illustrious works perpetually. Rightly, indeed, might your city be called a sanctuary and dwelling-place of the immortal gods, on account of your ^C worship and fear of them: and it is sufficiently certain by many proofs that it flourishes by the presence of the celestial gods. Therefore your city, having set aside all things peculiar to its own advantage, and having also omitted the petitions which it was previously wont to use for its own state, as soon as it perceived that men given to execrable vanity were creeping and spreading widely again, and like a neglected and sleepy breeze receiving through torches its force and fire, causing a vast conflagration to spread, that it sensed this, with no delay interposed, it fled immediately to our piety, just as to the metropolis and chief city of all sacred rites, imploring aid and assistance." And the things which follow ^D are full of like impiety, and disparaging our profession, saying that it is because of us that the divine Numen is angry, and that whatever of evil there is in the air, on earth, and in the waters, is sent upon men.

Chapter XXVIII.

the wayfarers to be constrained. Those, however, who had, or pretended to have, abundant means, by distributing much to the multitude, eventually arrived at a savage famine themselves, suffering the same things; and they were so inhumanly disposed that for very many days dead and naked bodies lay everywhere, providing a most piteous sight to those still living. Already some were even served up as food to dogs; on account of which there was a great slaughter of dogs, for fear they would turn rabid and begin to practice cannibalism. ^A The pestilence, meanwhile, ranging through the houses, consumed everyone, and especially ravaged the wealthy. Those whom famine had not killed, the contagious pestilence carried off. Thus all things were full of groanings, houses, squares, and marketplaces; lamentations and woe were heard everywhere, along with the customary piping and beating of breasts. With these two weapons, famine and pestilence, death campaigned, and utterly harvested the entire generation of that time. So that at one and the same time, most bodies were being carried out, and the common graves were numbered by the thousands each day. Such were the fruits that followed the haughty soul of Maximin’s decrees against us. ^B At that time, many of our own faith also showed the proofs of their piety. Displaying a philanthropic way, they diligently buried the bodies that lay unburied, and they were countless; others gathered those who had been wounded by the famine, providing them with some bread and other food, according to the ability of their means. From this, a report spread far and wide, so that we alone were acknowledged by all other men as pious, and they magnified Christ as the guardian of the Christians. When these things were accomplished, God, the savior, our protector and guardian, having manifested His own indignation by the sudden imposition of the aforementioned evils—because of the insults they had heaped upon Him through their enmity against us—again shone forth upon us, in His own providence, as if from a lightless darkness, providing an unspeakable light of peaceful conditions, ^C and making Himself manifest to all as God, being the overseer and guardian of our affairs, using the scourge in a time of tribulation for the sake of the conversion and chastisement of His own. Yet after the sufficient discipline, He looked upon those who had placed their firm hope of salvation in Him with a merciful and fatherly eye. How He wisely arranged this, I shall tell from here.

CAPUT XXIX. That the great Constantine triumphed over Maxentius, who tyrannized at Rome, when he also beheld the divine sign of the cross glittering with stars in the heavens.

Maxentius, the son of Herculius, was crushing his own subjects at Rome with the crimes which we mentioned a little while ago. ^D Which

^A when Constantine heard—for frequent embassies were arriving to him from there, imploring him not to despise Rome, the mother of emperors, and not to allow her to be so ravaged by that savage beast—he was moved to great anger, and took the report of such an indignity very gravely. For those who live by the ordinance and will of God consider the injury inflicted upon others to be their own. And so, he first began by letter to admonish Maxentius and persuade him to abstain from such nefarious crimes. But as he accomplished nothing by this, he judged that he must take up arms and avenge the injury of the oppressed as best he could. Having therefore prepared his army, he set out for Italy, equipped not so much with the apparatus of war as with the "all-encompassing armor of God." When Maxentius learned of this, trusting more in his ^B heinous magical impostures and sorceries than in the goodwill of his subjects, he did not dare to venture even outside the city. Having placed ambushes, and having posted guards of armed men in most of the places around the empire, he sent other forces against Constantine. He, moreover, having been victorious in one or two battles against the tyrant's army, proceeded deep into Italy and approached nearer to the city of Rome. But that he might not be forced to wage war against all the Romans for the sake of Maxentius alone, God, by some ineffable power, drew the tyrant further outside the city gates. For he had constructed a bridge of boats across the river that flows past the city—where also the other bridge, which is called the Milvian bridge, is built—by a certain artifice and deception, and having led his army out, he advanced against Constantine with great impetus. ^C Constantine, for his part, was thinking anxiously about the outcome of the war, and pondering whom he might invoke as his helper. While he was meditating on these things, it came to his mind that Diocletian, who had trusted in many gods according to the Greek superstition, had been helped by none; but that his own father, Constantius, had lived a much happier life, having promptly renounced the religion of the Greeks. Wherefore, he humbly invoked the ancestral God, whoever He might be, from the depths of his soul, that He might look upon him and extend His right hand to him in the dangers that were imminent: a request which was immediately granted. For at midday, as he was traveling with his army, with the sun already verging toward the west, a miracle greater than can be told was presented to him: namely, a column of fire, and a brilliance of light ^D forming the shape of a cross in the air, which, expressed in stars of equal size in the shape of Latin letters, clearly showed Constantine: "In this, conquer." Struck with amazement, and doubting within himself regarding that vision, he inquired of the friends who were with him whether they also saw the same thing. And when they confirmed that they did, the following night Christ appeared to him together with that awesome sign, and ordered him to make something of that kind, and to carry it in battles, for by it he would overcome all his enemies. And as soon as

^A a day had dawned, in obedience to the vision, he caused a sign of that kind to be fashioned from gold, which to this very day is preserved among the imperial and courtly regalia for so many centuries. It will not be untimely to describe it in a few words. A long spear, fashioned of gold, has an oblique bar attached in the form of a cross; at the top, a wreath holds the middle Greek letter P, crossed, and obscurely refers to the name of Christ by its primary letters. From the oblique bar, which is fixed across the spear, a golden veil hangs down, upon which the golden image of the pious emperor and his children is beautifully depicted chest-high. Having designed this at that time, he decreed that it should be carried before him in war. Relying on this, he proceeded eagerly to the engagement. But when the battle was joined, Maxentius ^B was utterly defeated, and very many of the enemy were cut down by the sword through the armor of the cross. But Maxentius, whom the Emperor Constantine pursued as he fled, was caught in his own snare, as they say. For the bridge having been broken by divine power, and the ships by which the river had been bridged having been loosened, the crossing itself went to ruin, and the boats suddenly sank into the depths with all the men, and the wretch himself was engulfed and suffocated in the river first together with his supporters, just as Pharoah was long ago with his whole army. So that that river appeared to be filled with horses and riders at the bridge which is called the Milvian. Then indeed, the things that had been sung long ago could be seen represented before one’s eyes: "The chariots of Pharaoh and his army he cast into the sea; his chosen riders and guards he submerged in the Red Sea. They descended into the deep like lead, in the mighty waters." It would be right, following the example of that great servant of God, Moses, who attributed the victory to God, that we too, just as he did, should joyfully sing a hymn against this impious tyrant: "Let us sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously glorified. Horse and rider he cast into the sea; he became my helper and protector for salvation. He is my God, and I will glorify him: the God of my father, and I will exalt him. And, Who is like unto thee among the gods, O Lord? Who is like unto thee? Glorified in holy things, admirable in glory, doing wonders."

CAPUT XXX. That Constantine, having received Rome, performed deeds pleasing to God.

These things, moreover, and things related to them, Constantine, having attained so wonderful a victory, celebrating God, and shouting with a louder voice in triumph, ^D entered the city of Rome; with all the citizens exulting in their souls with the greatest cheerfulness and joy, and with applause and happy omens and acclamation, they escorted him as their savior and liberator, bearing the trophy of victory, though they had first adorned the whole city with garlands, conducting him and welcoming him. Constantine, however, having a true piety toward God implanted in him by nature in a certain way, was in no way moved by such applause, as one who knew that success had come to him from God according to his affairs, and immediately ordered the sign of the cross to be set up on high.

^A in a majestic and more radiant form, and commanded that it be securely erected in the place most public in Rome. He had these things inscribed in the Roman tongue upon the statue: "By this saving sign, the true proof of valor, I have delivered your city from the yoke of the tyrant, and have liberated the senate and the people of Rome, once again restoring them to their ancient splendor and grandeur." Having thus gained control of Rome, first of all he ordered that the relics of the saints be gathered and committed to fitting burial; then he made it his concern that those proscribed should be recalled from exile. Finally, he issued an edict that no one should persecute the Christians, that captives and those in chains should be released, and that confiscated property should be returned to its lawful possessors. Furthermore, he hastened above all to restore the churches of God and to adorn them with gifts; and as for the altars of the idols, he ordered them to be uprooted from their very foundations and consumed by fire, and that the revenues which they had possessed should be consecrated to the divine temples. All these things were accomplished with wonderful speed. The city of Rome then held a famous seven-day assembly to celebrate the victory, praising at once God the author of that victory, the triumphal armor of the cross, and the victor himself, Constantine, honoring him with worthy honors. It was then the seventh year of Constantine’s reign since the death of his father. Therefore Constantine and Licinius, who along with him had ^B not yet begun to be insane or to rage against God, having rendered the debt of worship to God, and both having come to a consonant mind, issued an excellent written decree on behalf of the Christians. Furthermore, they sent to Maximinus, the tyrant of the East—who still pretended friendship toward them—a most detailed account of the wondrous things that had happened to him from God beyond the hope and expectation of all, including how Maxentius had been defeated, as well as the decree itself. He, bearing the deed with great resentment and seeking to escape it by some artifice so as not to appear subject to them (for to reject the edicts sent to him, fearing them as better and greater, was not easy for him),—what did he contrive? He pretended, of course, and feigned that it was of his own counsel that he had determined to be more lenient toward the Christians; and he gave letters to the peoples subject to him on their behalf, recounting some things he had never done. Thus, deliberately deceiving and deluding himself, he lied. What he wrote was of this sort.

Chapter XXXI. On the edict of Maximinus Galerius, which he proposed in writing for the Christians, willing or unwilling.

^C Jovius Maximinus Augustus to Sabinus. I am persuaded that it is known both to your strength and to all men that our lords and parents, Diocletian and Maximian, when they saw that almost all mortals, having abandoned the worship of the gods, were joining themselves to the nation of the Christians, rightly ordained ^D that all who had defected from the religion of the immortal gods should [index: entries preserved]

be recalled to the worship of the gods by manifest punishment and correction. But when I first happily arrived in the East, and learned in what places very many men, who could have been useful and advantageous to the state, were being exiled by the judges and prefects for the reason I have mentioned, I gave orders to all those judges that none of them should hereafter treat the provincials cruelly, but rather recall them to the sacred rites of the gods by gentler exhortation. Wherefore, since the judges obeyed my commands as was fitting, it came about that absolutely no one in the Eastern regions was sent into exile or suffered injury and insult. And very many, because nothing more severe or harsh was ordained against them, returned ^B to the religion of the gods. But after this, when in the following year I had happily entered Nicomedia and was staying there, citizens of that same city came to me with images of the gods, and earnestly requested of me that I would by all means see to it that that nation be not permitted to have a domicile in their fatherland. To them I replied, that I for my part wished to gratify their petition willingly, but that these prayers were not being made to me by all people alike. For if any should persevere in their superstition, that was free for them to do according to the judgment and will of each individual: yet they were not to be forbidden if they wished to return to acknowledging the religion of the gods. But indeed, to the Nicomedians and to the citizens of other cities, who themselves also put forward the same petition with great zeal and contention before me—namely, that no Christian should inhabit their cities—I was compelled by a certain necessity to respond kindly, that I, too, since all the ancient emperors had observed this very thing, and since it had pleased the gods themselves, through whom all men and this very government of the state exist, should confirm a petition of such a kind, which referred to me the cause concerning the worship of the divine powers. ^C Therefore, even though it has been signified to your devotion most especially by letters before this time, and likewise mandated by decrees, that those prefects to whom the care of so many and such great peoples is entrusted should not act too harshly or severely toward the provincials with regard to that nation, but should bear with them clemently, moderately, and patiently; nevertheless, it has seemed good also by this writing to admonish your fortitude, so that they may not be affected, vexed, or harassed by the agents of the prefects or by any others whatsoever, but rather that they may be persuaded by human and kind exhortations to acknowledge the care and worship of the gods. Therefore, if any one should be led by his own judgment to desire to take up the religion of the gods, it is fitting to welcome him: but if any wish to follow their own rites separately, they are to be left to their own discretion and authority. Your devotion will therefore take care that what has been commanded to it is observed, and that to no one of our provincials hereafter ^D is the power permitted of being recalled from his own religion. Furthermore, that these our commands may come to the knowledge of our subjects,

it is required that you make known what has been commanded through an edict ^A posted by you. »

CHAPTER XXXII.

Of the rash perversity and movement of Maximinus against Constantine the Great.

These things, although he had ordered them not according to his own preference but brought about by great necessity, did not at all seem to him to be telling the truth, to those who considered in their own minds that a short time before, through the inconstancy of his own judgment, he had ordained things far different. Wherefore no one dared to hold public meetings, nor freely to perform those things which belong to our legitimate worship. Nor did the rescript itself wish for this, which granted us only security from injuries and insults: but it did not permit us to hold meetings, to build divine houses, and to do other things which are customary and usual for us: whereas indeed the leader and author of true piety and our peace, the emperor Constantine, together with Licinius, had permitted all these things in their letters given to him and to all the peoples subject to their dominion and empire. But these things displeased that impious man, although afterward, forced by divine vengeance, he found it necessary, even unwillingly, to sanction those same things which they had ordained. The primary reason for his derangement, however, was that he was unable to bear and support the magnitude of the empire which had fallen to him: wherefore, driven by foolish thoughts and counsels, he managed affairs ineptly and wrongly. And now, inflated with empty arrogance in his own mind, through rashness and confidence he dared to oppose himself to the emperors, ^B who surpassed him in many and incomparable ways in birth, upbringing, education, prudence, dignity, true piety toward God, and in all matters in the dutiful, decent, and moderate constitution of their souls: which virtues shone forth wonderfully in them as preeminent and most illustrious before others. And first indeed, in the customary acclamations and vows which took place publicly, he saw to it that he was proclaimed in the first place: then, however, turning his madness into insanity, he broke the treaties previously made with Licinius. And when he himself reflected in his mind on the things which, through the power and efficacy of the cross, had befallen Maxentius, he took up arms not only against the emperors, but even against the crucified Christ. And seized by terror, he little by little ^C permitted persecution against the Christians again. At which time many truly admirable and strong men strenuously completed their course in the stadium of martyrdom.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

That the great Constantine was initiated into the sacrosanct baptism at Rome by Sylvester.

When the divine emperor Constantine had heard these things, and especially had learned how he had openly renewed the persecution against the Christians—for he had hated all malice and wickedness from childhood—he lost heart, and wore himself out with cares, diligently thinking how he might remove this man also from the midst. And while he was meditating such things, when ^D a disease suddenly and violently crept upon him, inflicting no small wound...

^A throughout his entire body, and exhibiting the whole as a direct injury—a monstrosity as it were to behold—his breath became dense and continuous, not drawn without pain. And shortly thereafter, a deep leprosy bloomed over his entire body. ^A For the healing of this, many magicians and enchanters and not a few sorcerers even from Persia arrived, and they were of as much profit as they were in further increasing the disease. Upon this, Greeks also arrived who, disaffected by the ruler’s change of religion, and having found his disease an ally, attempted by their sorceries to win him over to their side. And they feigned that it was necessary for a bath to be made in the Capitol, ^B which, having been filled with the blood of innocent children—fresh and still steaming—should the emperor bathe in it, his purification would proceed in the easiest manner; otherwise, they claimed, it would be impossible for him to be cleansed of such leprosy. By this strange proposal they deceived the city; and infants were almost immediately gathered in boundless numbers. And as the time arrived and the executioners were arming themselves against the infants, and the emperor himself was present, behold, the mothers of the children arrived with hair dishevelled, ^C exposing their breasts in a becoming manner, suggesting the distress and pain caused to them by the abundance of their milk, and filling the air with wailing and lamentations. The ruler, having learned the cause of the moaning, moved by compassion and becoming overcome by the sympathy of his mind, the most philanthropic man yielded, choosing rather to remain ill than to effect his health through such an abominable crime. And becoming filled with tears, "The dignity and greatness of the Roman empire," he said, "has piety as its true fountain and root. ^D That I may therefore openly demonstrate to all that I have sprung from this, I hold the health of the body as secondary to the lives of the innocent children." Having said these things, he returned again to his house, by this one decision removing the bitterness from the mothers. And when night had come, he reaped the reward of his kindness. Peter and Paul, the chief of the apostles, appeared to him, saying thus: "Constantine, we are Peter and Paul, sent to thee by the Lord God, to give thee the token of salvation." They then instructed him to seek out Sylvester, the priest of the city, that in the bath with him, on being washed, he would quickly avert the disease; on account of his having granted life to the innocent children. And as sleep left him, he drove far away the physician who was standing by, saying that he no longer had need of human art or aid, but that his aid and safety henceforth would come from the hand of the Most High. And the physician departed. And when Sylvester was formally summoned, and was present with the appropriate honor, he inquired more accurately whether Peter and Paul, if he had gods, were the ones he called upon. But Sylvester said, "O king, not many gods, but one, whose work are all things. Peter and Paul are not gods, but servants of God and apostles; but those who have become exceptionally pleasing in faith and love have attained to the fortress of holiness, and are foremost among the saints; who are indeed the first and to all the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

^A proclaimed to the nations, and from them the whole Church took its beginning. And, having finished their work, they departed this life by martyrdom, and now they are friends of the Almighty. But when he sought also their holy images, and the high priest producing them showed them, then, having recognized the fact more accurately, he confirmed that they were the very ones he had seen. Therefore, for seven days he put on sackcloth instead of purple, and gave himself up to fasting and prayer; and having closed the temples of the idols and opened the prisons, and having bestowed much mercy and abundant provision upon all, he proceeded to the water, while an intense prayer was being made by the whole Church, as Sylvester had commanded. And the priest, looking toward the water, said: This, O emperor, having received the power of the life-giving Trinity by invocation, just as it knows how to cleanse the things outside the body, so too, cleansing the soul from every stain and pollution, renders it brighter than the solar rays. And so, having been anointed with oil, he enters the bath. But when the invocation of the holy Trinity had been said, according to custom, a sudden gleam of ineffable light ^B flashing from somewhere illuminated the place. And a certain extraordinary sound was heard, as if struck from a perfectly harmonious lyre. And the all-holy emperor came out, fully partaking of health, as if clothed in new flesh, with certain fish-scales, as it were, left behind in the water. And he said this to the blessed Sylvester: that while he was still staying in the holy waters, he felt the touch of a hand as if sent from heaven. Together with him, Crispus his son also participated in the divine bath, and both put on a white garment.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

What Constantine the Great rightly ordained after his baptism.

^A The flock of Christ grew daily, so to speak, while the cult of idols gradually melted away and vanished. And, having summoned the Senate to the basilica called Ulpia, he decreed with a sincere mind that gods should no longer be named or believed in; for indeed, they were not the gods of men, but rather men were the gods of those—and having him as a manifest example, they ought to worship and revere the Lord Jesus Christ as the true God, and as the one reigning in the heavens. And he showed the temple in the palace as proof that he was not being dragged back into the old error. The people supported the emperor's words and cried out forty times: "The God of the Christians is the true God." In addition to this, he decreed that baptism should be voluntary and not compelled, and that no one should approach the service through human fear, but rather that whoever chooses it should be joined to the divine order with a sober mind. An unspeakable joy poured into the crowds as this law circulated, that no one should be dragged against his will into a different religion. Now, the monuments of the saints were being adorned along with the churches; grateful and welcome rewards were established for those who had been in exile; and whoever professed Christ was proclaimed a friend to the ruler.

CAPUT XXXV. Refutation of those who say that Constantine was later baptized at Nicomedia by the Arians, and that he adopted Christianity because of the murder of his son Crispus.

That the holy Constantine was indeed baptized at Rome by the divine Sylvester after the crushing of Maxentius—[a tyrant] who was most powerfully defeated by the sign of the cross—the baptistery, which is preserved at Rome to this very day as most certain testimony of that event, clearly demonstrates; just as this is heard from older men who value the truth highly. ^B Let it seem strange to no one that before his baptism the most praiseworthy prince was judged worthy of such grace, that he should be counted among those who heard a divine voice, and that he should see the precious form of the cross in the heavens, and behold the venerable characters of the holy apostles Peter and Paul; for he had long since been a Christian in his character, and his name was written in the heavens. And signs are shown not only to the unbelieving, but also to the believing. Those, however, who in the East were formerly of the sect of Arius, have recorded that he received baptism at Nicomedia from Eusebius, the bishop of that city, when he was already on the verge of death. They say that he delayed baptism because he wished to perform it in the river Jordan. But this is easily refuted, because the Church proclaims that he was baptized at Rome by Sylvester. And all who are told [this account] consider it far from the truth and do not accept it.

^A For those of the Arian faction, being evilly disposed, have concocted such things from their wretched minds, claiming that he was unbaptized, or perhaps feigning that he held the same opinions as them, as if he had received the grace of baptism from them. This is full of absurdity and falsehood. For if he had not yet partaken of the divine laver, it follows that he could not have assembled with the Fathers at the Council of Nicaea, nor shared in their divine mysteries. How else would he have been deemed worthy of their blessing and shared their common table, as history has handed down? But let the Arians play with this; let us hold fast to the history.

I am not, indeed, ignorant of the crimes that the Gentiles, through sycophancy and calumny, bring against Constantine. ^B Indeed, these even say that Constantine, having put to death certain men related to him by birth and blood, and having killed his own son Crispus with his own hand—whom his stepmother Fausta had accused to his father, alleging that he had been pestering her with improper overtures—was struck by remorse. They say that he consulted with the philosopher Sopater, who at that time presided over the school of Plotinus, concerning lustral purifications. The latter is said to have replied that there was no purification left for such great pollutions. Being in great anxiety, he encountered bishops of the Christians, who promised him that through baptism they could cleanse not only these things, but even far greater sins. Whereupon, having attained his desire, he rejoiced greatly, admired the sacred mysteries of the Christians, and, having given his name to Christ, imposed upon his subjects the necessity of abjuring the religion of the Gentiles. ^C But these are manifest inventions, by which they have eagerly sought to make a mockery of the faith and piety of the Christians. For Crispus died in the twentieth year of his reign, the very reason for which they claim he needed expiation. He himself, while yet living and while his father was still alive, enacted many laws on behalf of the Christians, holding as he did the second place in the empire and being a Caesar, as the times presently subject to these laws still indicate to this day. ^D Moreover, when could Sopater have come into conversation with Constantine, who at that time only ruled over the regions near the Ocean and the Rhine? For while he was waging war against Maxentius and residing in Italy, being at odds with the affairs of the Romans, it was not easy for him to mingle with the Gauls and Britons, among whom it is agreed that Constantine embraced the Christian religion even before he fought against Maxentius and came to Rome and to Italy itself—a fact which both the times and the laws which he enacted for us bear certain witness. Even if we were to grant that it was quite easy to meet with Sopater, or to inquire by letter, it still does not seem credible that so great a philosopher would be ignorant of how Heracles, after the murder of his children, was purified in the mysteries of Demeter at Athens, and likewise after the murder of Iphitus, whom he killed while he was his friend and guest. It is enough, therefore, that these things also show that even the Greeks themselves used to profess purifications for such monstrous transgressions.

They who invented such tales are more truly the accusers of Sopater. For I cannot be persuaded that a man so renowned for wisdom was ignorant of such things. Enough on these matters.

CAPUT XXXVI. Concerning Saint Helena, how she came to Rome, and the dialogue of the Jews with Saint Sylvester.

^B While the emperor’s mother, Helena, was staying in the province of Bithynia, the Jews, considering the sudden change of the emperor, persuaded his mother to write and advise her son: that he had done well to depart from the worship of idols, but had not done well to embrace the newly arisen religion of the Nazarene. She acted accordingly. Constantine, having received the letter from his mother, replied as was fitting, and summoned certain of the Jews to Rome, so that they might confer with the Christian presbyters, and whichever party was considered to present the better case, that party should necessarily follow the other. ^C And so, the fourth gathering, with Constantine taking care and leading the way, was convened in the city of Rome, in which there were twenty-four bishops of the Romans, while the priests of the Jews numbered one hundred and twenty, among whom twelve were leaders. Sylvester was the head of the synod and the dialogue. The emperor himself was present, as well as his mother Helena, both listening attentively and diligently. But when the most sacred Sylvester surpassed them so greatly by the power of his arguments that the Jews, filled with great admiration, listened to him with open mouths in astonishment, being struck by the effective persuasion of his replies; and when, at the end, he restored the bull which had been killed by venom, by calling upon the name of Christ, they all fell at his feet, and having cast aside their own worship, ^D they came to think the same regarding religion as Sylvester, so that those who had come with the intention of catching others were caught themselves. This event also persuaded the blessed Helena to think better of her son. Furthermore, she herself abandoned the worship of her father’s religion and fell at the feet of Sylvester; and having been instructed by him in the sacred mysteries of our faith, she at last appeared to be the mother of a son endowed with so many and such great virtues, having conceived the same zeal and faith in Christ as he.

CAPUT XXXVII. Concerning the conflict of Constantine and Maximin, and concerning those in the army who carried the sign of the cross.

When Maximin, the tyrant of the East, learned of these things, he could not help but bear it with impatience. For this reason, he stirred up a great war with irreconcilable hatred, and in a short time, he stirred up and disturbed all things.

^A He gathered a countless multitude of forces, and prepared himself for battle as best he could, led astray by the hopes of demons and by myriads of armed men. For these reasons, the most renowned Emperor set out from Rome, and Licinius Caesar accompanied him with a no mean army, and both by land and by sea he proceeded towards the East, trusting not so much in these, as in the armor of the Cross itself. And when they had arrived in Bithynia, at the place which is called Astacus, he advanced in battle array with the greatest confidence against the wicked enemy, who was already bringing up hostile standards and had arrived from the opposite direction, with as much boldness as one might describe. ^B Great Constantine ordered the sign of the Cross to go before—which among the Romans was formerly called the Labarum—and it was more formidable in war than other standards; for that very thing had been accustomed to lead the way and to be venerated by the soldiers. And for this reason, I believe, Constantine changed the most distinguished standard of the Roman Empire into the sign of Christ, so that by the frequent sight and veneration of it, his subjects might come to abandon their former superstition, and might consider Him alone to be God, whom the Emperor and his leaders worshipped and employed as a defender against their enemies. He ordered, therefore, that this sign should go before, and be present with the laboring and endangered cohorts; that the guards should carry it in turns upon their shoulders, and should go round the ranks. When this saving armor was thus advancing before the army of Constantine, Maximinus commanded his own men, whosoever could take aim and shoot accurately, to hurl their missiles at the sign, and to rush in a body against it. ^C And so the man who was carrying it, being struck with fear (for it is said that he was of the Greek superstition), hastened to hand it over to another to carry. But there, another man, born of a martyr father, leapt forward with great alacrity; he threw off his breastplate and helmet far from him, and covered only by a tunic, he snatched up the sign of the Cross. Furthermore, he who had protected himself from the strike of weapons fell, having received a mortal wound. But he who carried the sacred sign of the Cross, although missiles were hurled at him like a dense snowfall, was wounded by none. For, contrary to all expectation, by a certain divine power, the weapons cast by the enemies would strike and stick to the wood of the sign, while they would fly completely away from the one carrying it, even though he was involved in the middle of the danger. ^D It is said, moreover, and believed by men who love God, that never at any other time did he who carried this sign fall into any adverse misfortune, nor was he ever wounded or taken prisoner. But when the battle was joined, the tyrant, who had relied upon the detestable impostures of magicians, having thrown off even his under-tunic and assumed a military habit, escaping with a very few who were well-disposed to him, fled as quickly as his feet could carry him. Changing from village to village, he barely escaped from the hands of the enemies; thus showing in reality that the divine oracle is true, which says: "A king is not saved by a great host, and a giant shall not be saved by the multitude of his strength," and what follows in the Psalm. Having thus shamefully arrived at his own territory, he

^A vented his entire rage upon his own priests and prophets; and, being stirred up by their magic arts and impostures, he had undertaken such a great war. And having gathered those who were held in highest esteem among them, he slaughtered them as sorcerers and deceivers. But toward the guardian God of the Christians, he decreed a law on their behalf—not like the previous ones, but a complete and perfect one. And after a short time had passed, he departed this life by a disgraceful death, contrary to fate. I have decided to append that decree to this record.

CAPUT XXXVIII. On the edicts which Maximinus rightly proposed after avoiding danger.

^B “Imperator Caesar Gaius Valerius Maximinus, Germanicus, Sarmaticus, Fortunate, Pious, Invincible, Augustus. We believe that no one is ignorant that we are continuously concerned in every way for the benefit of our provincials, and that we desire to provide them with those things which are most fruitful for all, and which contribute to the common use and utility of all, and are agreeable to the public cause, and which prove dear and welcome to the minds of all; but that every man, returning to the matter itself, is persuaded and knows it. Since, however, it is manifest to you beforehand, because it had been commanded by our divine parents, Diocletian and Maximian, that the assemblies of the Christians should be abolished, many have been harassed by officials and despoiled of their goods; and because this ^C had to proceed into the future also against our subjects, for whom it behooved us, since their wealth and possessions were being plundered, to take the greatest care—we established by letters given last year to the prefects of each province that, if anyone desired to adhere to such a custom or observation of that kind of worship, he should be allowed to hold to his purpose without any impediment placed in his way, nor be forbidden by anyone from easily doing, without any fear or superstition, that which pleased each one. But not even now has it been able to escape our notice that some of the judges have not correctly understood our commands; wherefore it happened that our people began to deviate from them, and more slowly approached the religions which they themselves ^D approved. But indeed, in order that henceforth every fear, suspicion, and doubt may be excised, we have willed this present constitution to be proposed, so that it may be known and manifest to all, that whoever wishes to embrace this sect and religion, it is permitted to them to betake themselves to the worship of this deity, which they have chosen to follow according to their own customs, to do so by the liberality and grace of this law. Moreover, it is granted to them to construct their own Lord’s houses. But in order that this our liberality may be greater, we have also thought it right to decree this: Whatever houses and properties, which previously belonged to the right of the Christians, and by the commands of our parents have yielded to the right of the treasury, or have been seized by any city...

whether a sale of these has taken place, or they have been given to anyone as a gift, all these we have ordered to be recalled to the ancient right of the Christians, so that in this matter also all may perceive our piety and providence.” ^A Such things he wrote later, perhaps also to render Constantine more mild toward himself. Moreover, this edict was posted not even a full year after his commands against us had been engraved upon columns. And those to whom hitherto it had not been permitted to inhabit, I will not say any region, but not even a wasteland, but as impious and utterly devoid of God they had been cast out from all places, exposed to every evil, and subjected to iron, fire, beasts, and countless kinds of punishments and deaths, and had endured all torments and tortures: these were finally commanded to possess their religion and to construct sacred houses, and were permitted to enjoy their own rights.

Chapter XXXIX.

Concerning the divinely-inflicted death of Maximinus, and the utter ruin of the enemies of the truth.

And these things he wrote after his flight, as if affected by some notable benefit, and suffering something for our sake, although not as he had deserved, ^B just as if he were confessing it openly. But when he engaged in a second conflict with us, he lost his life; yet not fighting as he ought to have done, nor falling bravely with praise and glory. For although his battle-line was drawn up and stood in a level place, he himself remained at home, shunning the missiles, like one who would lift up his hands against God, [and] he was struck in his whole body by a divine scourge. For immediately, having been seized with pain from the utmost anxiety, he rolled upon his bed and wasted away from hunger. Moreover, an inflammation having arisen within his viscera, it corrupted his entire habit and form; externally also it deformed his appearance, so that in a short time nothing remained in him except dry bone, similar to a statue, which would strike horror and fear into those looking at it, and his body seemed as if it were a sepulcher of his soul, or a certain leather sack containing it buried more deeply within itself. ^C And when all his marrow had been burned up, the orbs of his eyes moved from their place and fell out, and blinded him. He, furthermore, being tortured by the greatest pains, and having confessed to God, prayed that death be hastened for him; and finally having borne witness that he was paying the punishments worthy of all the outrages and insults with which he had impudently and petulantly persecuted Christ, he finally gave up that execrable soul. And indeed, in this manner, he who had been the most bitter of all the tyrants being removed from the midst, the churches were immediately raised up from their very foundations, and the word of the faith was preached more freely ^D throughout the East. With this tyrant removed, Christianity flourished again in the East.

^A For he who was hated by God and a tyrant was proclaimed such in writing everywhere, and was publicly disgraced. His statues and images, whatever had been erected in the cities in his honor, were cast down from their high places and broken into small pieces; as for others, their faces were smeared with soot and dark paint, and they were set out as a mockery and a toy for those who wished to play with them. And other honors of the enemies of the truth were abolished. As for those who were of the same mind as him, and who, in a more arrogant manner, had played the drunkard against our own people, they paid the fitting penalty. Such was that man Peucetius, held in great veneration by him and the most genuine of all his friends, having been created consul for the second and third time, and distinguished as well by other higher offices. Lucianus too, likewise adorned with every honor and power primarily by him, who had purchased his honors and magistracies with the blood of the Egyptian Christians—and very many others besides, through whom Maximinus had attained supreme power so that he might appear terrible to all. And vengeance, having no delay, also overtook Theotecnus for the crimes he had devised against the Christians. For because he had been honored on account of that newly erected idol and the fabrications excited against us, he had been elevated to primary dignities as well. And after Licinius arrived at Antioch and drove the crowd of magicians and impostors to destruction, the priests of that recent idol were present there, and being tortured, were compelled to give the cause of their deception. And when they betrayed the fraud of Theotecnus, Licinius first killed Theotecnus, then inflicted a fitting penalty upon those impostors. In addition to this, the children of Maximinus, and those connected with him by either lineage or friendship, were added, and, suffering equal disgrace and punishment, were slain: "Because they did not receive instruction," and did not understand "not to trust in princes, in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation." "In that day all their thoughts shall perish." ^B

CHAPTER XL. Concerning the peace granted to us by God and the dedications celebrated from place to place.

With the tyrants who were hated by God having thus been removed from the midst, the affairs of the empire were left firm and unshaken to Constantine and Licinius alone. Having crushed those most wicked men, and having gained sufficiently certain experience of the power of divine aid, they abundantly demonstrated the nobility of their faith and their propensity toward every virtue by moving and acting in all things for the Christians, and by promulgating secure laws for their safety and security. ^C And indeed, a bright and clear day shone forth everywhere, with no cloud intervening, and a certain divine and miraculous splendor illuminated all the churches throughout the world, and our affairs were placed in safety and beyond all envy. Everyone was abundantly a partaker of the peace which had been sent and brought about by God. ^D

^A And a great joy leapt up in all, as they saw things reviving which had long been destroyed by the pestilential bane. And indeed, magnificent temples were being raised, lifting themselves to great height and breadth, and received far greater beauty and splendor than those of before. And that which was to us the most desirable of all things, festivals of dedication were honored more brilliantly throughout the cities; and the consecrations of newly-established temples, and the synods of bishops gathering from all sides were celebrated; and the members of Christ, coming affectionately from elsewhere to elsewhere, were framed together again into one harmony, and, to speak prophetically, ^B bone to bone, and joint to joint was brought together; and as much as the divine word, prophesying, prepared: one power of the divine Spirit was known to be pervading through all; there was one soul and the same zeal for all; and one hymn was heard from all, the all-harmonious theology, and pure religion, and unalloyed priestly service, and the statutes and ordinances of the churches. And in addition to these, the singing of psalms and the hearing of divine words, and mystical services performed in a holy manner, and the ineffable symbols and signs of the saving passion. Every age and every sort of person, attending to prayer and thanksgiving, were praising the reconciler and author of such sudden goods; and panegyrical orations were set forth to the people, as the occasion, improvising, granted. And someone, in such a large assembly of the church, a certain very gentle and moderate and pious man, in the presence of many people and some bishops who were listening decently and quietly, brought forward into the midst an oration composed at home. Such was that one which someone dedicated most excellently to Paulinus, the bishop of the Tyrians. Now this Paulinus, famous among the Phoenicians, constructed many magnificent temples in Tyre. These things then were being carried on in this way. But it will not be irksome for me to insert into this work those constitutions which the God-beloved emperor published for us. And in the first place I shall place that which he wrote in common with Licinius, who had not yet been driven into madness, for the affairs of the Christians; which stands as follows: ^D

CAPUT XLI. Written constitution of the Emperor Constantine the Great, so that the places and property of the Christians be restored.

that such authority was granted, it seemed to have been explicitly added, perhaps so that some might shortly afterward shrink back from observing such a religion. Therefore, when I, Constantine Augustus, and I, Licinius Augustus, had happily arrived at Milan, and were examining all those things which pertained to the benefit and utility of the state, we determined to constitute and regulate among many other things, which appeared to be profitable to all, or rather were of primary importance, those things, to be sure, by which the honor and worship of the divine Being is contained; that is, to grant to the Christians and to all absolutely free liberty to follow the religion they may desire; so that whatever there is of the divine and celestial Being, it may be favorable and benign to us, and to all who live under our authority. Therefore, we have ordained this resolution of ours with sound and most upright reasoning, that to no one at all should the power be denied of following and choosing the practice and religion of the Christians; and that the power be given to each, one by one, to provide his own mind with that religion which he deems appropriate for himself; so that to us the divine Being may be able in all things to provide His wonted care and goodness. Which things it was consistent for us to signify by this our rescript, in order that, with those clauses entirely removed which were contained in the former letters sent to your Devotion concerning the Christians, and whatever appeared to be entirely sinister and alien to our clemency, these might be set aside; and that now, every one of those who hold the same resolution of observing the religion of the Christians may, freely and openly, without any harassment, observe this very thing. We have decreed that these things be most fully declared to your solicitude, so that you may know that we have granted to the Christians free and absolute authority to observe their own religion. And since your Devotion discerns that such absolute facility has been granted to them, you may know that it is permitted to others also, who wish to follow those sacred rites and ceremonies, to do so. This, which is manifest to be in agreement with the tranquility of our times, is that each one should have the power for the object that he desires of worshiping the divine Being. This was done by us, so that to no divine honor or worship might any part appear to be diminished by us. Therefore, also decreeing this in the name of the Christians, we ordain that their places, in which they were formerly accustomed to assemble (concerning which also in our former letters, sent at another time to your Devotion, we had constituted a different form and manner), if any people have purchased these either from our treasury or from anyone else, with a purchase intervening, they shall restore them to the Christians themselves without money and without any demand for the price paid, without any delay and deliberation. But if any have received such places as a gift from anyone, or even have obtained them through our own liberality and munificence, they shall approach the prefect of each place—whoever may be holding the office of judge—so that, through our kindness, their case may be taken into account. And all those places, with no inter-

-^Bruption of any kind, should be turned over to the body of Christians immediately through your diligence. And because it is known that the same Christians held not only those places where they were accustomed to gather, but also other properties that belong not to any one of them individually, but to the right of their body—that is, of the Christians—you shall order all these things to be restored to the same Christians, that is, to their body and to the assembly of each of them, according to the aforementioned law, without any dispute whatsoever, provided that the aforementioned calculation is maintained; so that those who restore them without restitution of price, as we have said, for their own indemnity, may hope for recompense from our goodness. In all these matters, you must apply your effort and zeal as much as you can to the aforementioned body of Christians, so that our command may be fulfilled as quickly as possible, and so that, through our goodness and liberality, care may be taken for the common and public peace. For in this way, just as we have said, the divine grace and kindness toward us, which we have already experienced in many matters, will remain perpetual and firm for us. But in order that the intent of such a liberality and our constitution may be able to be brought to the notice of all, it follows that, having prefixed these writings, you should publish this our decree everywhere in all places, and bring it to the notice of all, so that our munificence may not be unknown to anyone.

CAPUT XLII. Other two constitutions, granting money, gifts, and immunity to the churches.

^CWe promulgated this second constitution which follows, signifying that such liberality was bestowed upon the Catholic Church alone: «Greeting, Anulinus, most honorable to us. The manner of our liberality and kindness is such that we wish that things which belong to the right of others should not only not be violently encroached upon, but should also be restored, most reverend Anulinus. Wherefore we command that as soon as these our letters have reached you, whatever goods belonging to the Catholic Church of the Christians—whether in cities or in other places—are held occupied either by citizens or by any other person, shall be returned immediately to the churches themselves. For it is our firm purpose that the possessions which the churches held before should return to their right. Since, therefore, your devotion perceives the command of this our order more clearly, you ought to apply your labor—whether they be gardens, or houses, or anything else that belonged to the right of the churches—so that all these things may be returned to them as quickly as possible, in order that we may understand that you have obeyed these our commands with care and fidelity. Farewell, Anulinus, most honorable to us.» They also wrote another constitution to the same person, by which

the ministers of the churches and presidents are ordered to be free and exempt from civil duties, in this manner: «Greeting, Anulinus, most honorable to us. Since it is evident from many things that the neglect and contempt of the religion, through which the highest observance and reverence for the most holy celestial Power is maintained, have brought great dangers to public affairs; and that this same religion, when legitimately and holily received and practiced, has secured the greatest happiness for the Roman name and has provided exceptional benefits to all the affairs of men, through the divine beneficence supplying this; it has pleased us that those men who, with due holiness and primary care for such sacred things, perform their duties through the excellent practice of holy religion, should receive the fitting rewards for their labors. For this reason, we wish those who, ^B within the province entrusted to you, are in the Catholic Church over which Caecilian presides, and who perform their function and service to the most holy religion—whom they are accustomed to call clerics—to be kept absolutely immune from all duties whatsoever, so that they may not be drawn away from the worship due to the highest Power by any error or sacrilegious lapse; but rather that they may serve their religion and their sacred rites without any disturbance. For if they duly render their worship, which is by far the greatest, to God, it seems that they bring very much convenience and profit to public affairs. Farewell, Anulinus, most honorable and by us beloved.» Constantine also issued a fourth constitution, in which he donates money to the churches, writing thus to Caecilian, bishop of Carthage: ^C «Constantinus Augustus to Caecilian, bishop of Carthage: Since it has seemed good to us in all the provinces, namely Africa, Numidia, and Mauritania, to grant something toward the expenses of certain ministers of the legitimate and most holy Catholic religion, I have given letters to Ursus, the Catholic [official] of Africa, and I have signified to him that he should take care to count out three thousand folles to your steadfastness. Therefore, when you have managed to receive the aforementioned sum of money, command it to be distributed to all those who have been designated in the brief sent to you by Hosius. But if you should discover that anything is lacking from that sum, so that the liberality which we have determined to provide to all of them might not be fulfilled, you should ^D seek what you see to be necessary from Heraclides, the curator of our estates, without any hesitation intervening. For I have commanded him, when he was with me, that if you should demand any money from him, he should take care to count it out to you without any ambiguity. And since I have heard that certain men of not sufficiently collected or sound mind wish to pervert the people of the most holy Catholic Church with a certain depraved and adulterated fraud, know that I have given such commands to Anulinus the proconsul, and also to Patricius, the vicar of the prefects, while both were present, that among all other things, they should also devote the care which is most fitting to this matter; nor if

they see anyone ^A in such madness persisting, let them not tolerate or overlook anything of the sort happening. Therefore, if you see such individuals persisting in this madness, without any hesitation approach the previously mentioned judges and put this very matter to them, so that they may correct and restrain them, just as I commanded them when they were present. May the Divinity of the great God keep you for many years. »

CHAPTER XLIII.

Likewise two constitutions also, decreeing that synods be held for the sake of concord in the churches.

In addition, he also composed a fifth constitution, ordering a convention of bishops to be held, so that concord and a single consensus might exist in the churches, writing in this manner: «Constantine Augustus to Miltiades, bishop of the Romans, and to Marcus, etc. Since many petitions regarding Anulinus, the most illustrious ^B proconsul of Africa, have been sent to me, in which it is reported that Caecilian, bishop of the city of Carthage, is being accused and charged by certain of his colleagues who are in Africa with many things—and this seems grave and burdensome to me, that in these provinces, which divine Providence, of its own will and choice, has entrusted to my devotion, and in which there is a frequent multitude of people, not only should the crowd be deflected toward worse things and distracted by dissensions, but bishops also should exercise discord among themselves—it has pleased me that this very Caecilian, together with ten bishops who appear to prosecute him, and ten others whom he himself deems necessary ^C for the judgment of his case, be sent by ship to Rome, so that there, in your presence and also in that of Reticius, Maternus, and Marinus, your colleagues whom I have ordered to hasten to Rome for this reason, he may be heard, just as the most holy law of God, as you know, demands. And so that you may be able to be most fully informed about this whole matter, I have sent copies of the documents given to me by Anulinus, attached to my own letters, to the colleagues of yours whom I have mentioned: upon reading these, your firmness will know how that which has been stated as the case must be duly and orderly decided, and settled according to equity and what is good. For it does not escape your ^D assiduity and diligence with what veneration I hold the holy Catholic Church, such that I wish no dissension or sedition whatsoever to be left in any place. May the Divinity of the great God keep you for many years, most honorable ones. »

He also published another constitution, that a second synod should also be convened, so that every dissension might be removed from the sacred order of the clergy; its words are these: «Constantine Augustus to Chrestus, bishop of Syracuse. Long ago, when some were wickedly and perversely beginning to secede from the holy religion and heavenly virtue and from the Catholic sect, wishing to cut off such contention and zeal for squabbling of theirs, we had determined that, by summoning certain bishops from Gaul and calling from Africa those who, among

the opposing party, were contending and squabbling ^A in an orderly, persistent and insistent manner, and with the bishop of Rome also present, that which appeared to have been stirred up could, by their presence and with all diligent discrimination, be brought to a successful conclusion. But since, as it happens, some, forgetful of their own salvation and the reverence owed to the most holy religion, do not cease to exercise their own hatreds and enmities, nor are they willing to acquiesce in the judgment already rendered, objecting by way of exception that only a very few people have given their opinions and decisions—who, moreover, rushed to render their decision quickly and hastily before everything that needed to be inquired into had been carefully and accurately examined; and from all these things, the result is that both those whom he taught to maintain brotherly concord and ^B unity are, in a shameful or rather detestable manner, dissenting from one another through withdrawal, and for those men who have souls alienated from this most holy religion, an occasion for mockery and disparagement has been provided—therefore it occurred to me to make provision for how that which ought to have been ended after the judgment already rendered by voluntary agreement, might even now at last, with many present, attain its due end. Since, therefore, we have commanded very many bishops from various and countless places to assemble in the city of Arles before the Kalends of August, we also thought it right to write to you, so that, having received from the most clarissimus Latronianus, the conductor of Sicily, a public carriage warrant, and having taken with you two others from the second order—whom you yourself judge should be chosen—and having also taken three servants capable of attending to you on the journey, you might arrive ^C at the aforementioned place within that day. So that through your gravity and the unanimous and consenting prudence of the others who will assemble there, the controversy which until now has not rightly continued due to the foul contention of internal discord, may—once all the things that will be said by those who currently dissent from one another, whom we have likewise commanded to be present, have been heard—finally be brought back, even now, to the due worship, profession, and brotherly concord. May the almighty God keep you safe for many years.

Chapter XLIV. On the perversity of the impious Licinius, and the martyrs who suffered under him.

He was passing laws and decrees of this sort at that time, while God was most abundantly granting us peace and most generously bestowing heavenly grace and freedom. But the ancient enemy of our race could not ^D endure this. For he immediately took possession of Licinius, and having led him away from the right path, he urged him to undertake hostilities against Constantine, whom the emperor had decorated with the title of Caesar, because he had achieved great glory in the war waged against Maximinus, and whom he had also honored at Nicomedia and in Thrace

and he subjected it to his rule. ^B Now, although he knew what had befallen the previous tyrants—and those things were surely sufficient to settle a prudent mind—and although he was Constantine’s brother-in-law, and second to him in honor and glory, he abandoned the imitation of him and preferred to emulate the tyrants, whose destruction and ruin he himself had seen, if anyone had, most clearly. Therefore, putting all else in the second place, he set aside both kinship and covenants confirmed by oath; and he kept contriving all sorts of deceits against him, laboring to repay his benefits with evil. At first, indeed, while hiding his schemes and feigning friendship, he frequently attacked him with fraud, yet he accomplished nothing. For, being dear to God, Constantine was protected by an invincible power, and whatever the enemy conspired one way or another in the hidden recesses of his heart, the emperor most easily brought to light, exposed, and crushed. So present was the armor of divine worship and piety in bringing help for his salvation. And he indeed, being in such great favor with God, escaped the hidden attempts of the other in this manner. But Licinius, because his clandestine plots were not succeeding according to his desire, as God was dragging them out into the open, armed himself against Constantine without dissimulation, openly—and perhaps one might say, even against the God of all things, whom he knew to be worshipped by him.

Primum, therefore, he began little by little to press and attack the Christians who were under his rule: then, having been seized by the madness innate to his mind, he stirred up an open persecution against the churches, thinking that Constantine would be distressed by the religion in which he had been placed and afflicted with the greatest grief. Nor was it unknown to him that the churches were praying for him and were eager to be under his rule. In particular, having made a selection, he drove all Christians out of his house and family, and those soldiers who would not sacrifice to the demons he stripped of honor and dignity and cashiered. Soon he brought in unlawful and wicked laws, shutting off all mercy to those locked in prisons, and decreeing the same punishments for the Christians who were caught as for evildoers. What need is there for me to speak of the things he unheard-ofly decreed concerning marriages? Or what he introduced in a new way regarding the dead? Or what great amount of gold and silver he exacted from the citizens? How he instituted new assessments of lands, and contrived other inventions and extortions from those who were well-born and held in reputation in their country? He would tear apart legitimate unions and deliver them in his insolence to the licentious. And what must be said regarding the fact that he himself, though he had reached the extremity of old age, was debauched day by day with virgins and with women under the marriage yoke, yet never attained satiety from such licentious conduct? ^C But the things that follow this action are minor, and in no way do they refute the former things. ^D

^A Finally, yielding to the excess of his own madness, he gave orders concerning the bishops, as though he knew them to be servants of God; but in secret and deceitfully he made away with the most approved among them. And the manner of the slaughter was strange and unusual. The deeds, at any rate, that were committed by him in the region of Pontus and the cities around Amasea surpass every limit of cruelty. For churches were torn up from their very roots and leveled to the ground, and others were entirely closed. The priests, meanwhile, were treated carelessly, as if they were some kind of criminals, and—worse than man-slayers—were subjected to countless tortures before finally being cut into small pieces with a sword and cast into the sea, as food for the fish. And how could one enumerate the slaughters of the other pious people? For wildernesses and uncultivated mountains were being used instead of cities. ^B Being of this state of mind, he traveled about pillaging and devastating everything; at which time also the commander Theodore, who was a man of great prowess, and who was residing in Heraclea of Pontus, was leading the Mariandynian nation. Having been summoned, and not having come, he received Licinius; and, having broken his gods into small pieces, he gave them to the poor. Although Licinius loved him very much, he subjected him to many tortures; he nailed him to a cross, and thrust skewers into the secret passages of his body, and finally beheaded him with a sword. His body was afterwards magnificently laid to rest in Euchaita, his own fatherland, being honored with a worthy temple. This is a different person from that Tyro who, in the city of Amasea under the prefect Bringas of Maximian, heroically endured his holocaust by fire; just as, indeed, was the other in Perge of Pamphylia who met his end by means of a cross. Nevertheless, all these were one body and one spirit in Christ. In the time of this man, Basileus, the bishop of the Amaseans, after having endured unbearable tortures, suffered death by the sword. The city of Sebastia, at its own lake, beheld those forty God-bearing men miraculously offered to God as whole burnt offerings through the cold and water, while Lysias and Agricolaus, those satellites and champions of his, were still alive and were remarkably proficient at finding new tortures against the martyrs. Furthermore, their wives, who were also forty in number, are said to have been led away to Heraclea of Thrace; and there, together with a certain deacon named Amon, having endured the greatest tortures that anyone could express, they were generously and bravely offered as victims to God by the sword, with a beautiful confession. ^{C D}

Chapter XLV.

How the impious Licinius was captured and ended his life violently.

^A Turning to open paganism, he called upon the demons, thinking that by slaughtering sacrifices and victims he would more easily and correctly expedite the war. They say also that, being seduced by some who promised him victory, he consulted the oracle of the Didymaean Apollo at Miletus; and as he inquired about the outcome of the war, the demon gave him this response in verse:

Old man, fiercely indeed do the youths attack you; Your strength is undone, and grievous old age oppresses you.

Constantine, however, the emperor most beloved of God, being a man of shame and imbued with kindness and modesty, hearing such things of him, at first kept himself in check, and greatly pitied his condition, even though he was someone unworthy of anyone’s compassion. But when he saw that he accomplished nothing by behaving in this way, and as the frenzy undertaken against Christ proceeded ever further, ^B he gathered his sober reason, as was his custom, and tempering justice with kindness, he decided to aid those who were being so cruelly vexed; and he did this, well aware that victory against his enemies was destined for him from above as a fruit of his own piety. And so, mixing hatred of evil with his love of goodness, and using the salvific weapon as a guide and ally together with his God-fearing son Crispus, they both drew up their battle line and clashed in war at Chrysopolis in Bithynia. When all things turned out well and happily for them, they carried off the victory most bravely against the enemy, whose infantry and naval forces were utterly routed. He, meanwhile, seeing nothing further he could do, surrendered himself to the victors—the man, I say, who a little before had been breathing out threats ferociously and striving to subject everything to his own power. The emperor, using his customary manner, granted him his life, but ordered him held in custody at Thessalonica. ^C But when he did not refrain from his accustomed ways, and was detected contriving treacherous and insidious plots, gathering a multitude of barbarians for pay, and desiring to retrieve the defeat he had suffered so as to restore the war, he was found looking toward new revolutions. By the emperor's command, he lost his life, struck by the sword, suffering the very same thing as the previous tyrants. Since, indeed, he did not return to recovery and duty, having been taught by the evils and adverse events of those others, but followed the same impiety that they did, he not undeservedly fell into the same foul calamities. His statues, too, and all of his images that had been placed or inserted in the walls were torn down, dug up, and abolished. And so he, having been defeated in this way, perished.

Chapter XLVI. On the laws and constitutions of Constantine, and the kindnesses he showed to the Christian religion.

Entire East and West came under the rule of Constantine alone; and he filled those regions, and all provinces round about, and even the northern and southern shores, with his own peace. ^D All fear was taken away. Bright

^A meetings were held everywhere; when they looked upon one another with cheerful eyes, they smiled warmly. All things were full of light, for the former gloom had been cast out. In the cities and the country, paeans and hymns were first sung to the God of all, and then to the dispenser of every good. There was amnesty for past evils, and forgetfulness of impiety; now there was a full enjoyment of present good things. And the hope of things to come was greater still. There were laws and ordinances full of philanthropy; and other blessings were spoken of openly; the abundant gifts were a demonstration of the depth of piety, the multitude of which what speech could enumerate? For the Emperor himself publicly exhorted everyone, first and foremost to worship the divine ^B Being piously. For those who applied themselves diligently to this worship, he promised that all good things would abound for them, and that all their undertakings would prosper with the best of hopes; but regarding those who wandered away from such piety and the religion of the true God, he confirmed that they should expect nothing in peace or war but adverse circumstances. He did not say this out of vainglory, but as one acknowledging and professing the grace of God; he asserted it, for having chosen himself as an appropriate servant of God, he placed the whole earth under his authority, so that the religion of the Christians might be increased, and those who persisted in ^C it might become more illustrious through honors. Thus disposed, he made void all the decrees that had been enacted against us from the beginning; he recalled those in exile, and shared honors with them; and he restored to each person what they had previously possessed, whether it was a military rank or property that had been taken away. He built more spacious churches with public funds, declared tax exemptions for the ministers of God, allowed synods to be held, and commanded them to do all other things that belong to the Christian religion. Since he had recalled all to their former freedom, and restored their customary honors and possessions, if any who had been condemned to ^D death had ended their lives, he ordered their nearest of kin to inherit their property. If there were none, he legislated that the local church should have the estate, whether it was private or public property. And these things seemed good to the Emperor, and were confirmed by law. What, moreover, was done besides this? He permitted Christians to hold all secular magistracies. As for the festivals of the Greeks, and sacrifices of idols, and orgies, magical arts, and the rites of demons, they were strictly forbidden, and many ancient customs were changed for the better. For the cubit among the Egyptians was no longer carried into the temples of the Greeks, but into our sacred houses, whereby the rise of the flooding Nile was measured. The spectacle of the gladiators among the Romans was forbidden from that time. The Phoenicians who dwelt near Heliopolis by the Lebanon ceased from the custom, which they were accustomed to perform according to law, of prostituting virgins before lawful marriage. Temples rose to an increase in height and breadth. Those that had enough means were renovated, and there were also some that were raised from their foundations. The Emperor provided an abundant supply of expenses for them, while the bishops oversaw them, having been commanded to provide for everything,

and the magistrates furnished the funds from the public treasury by his order. The Sauromatae ^A also and the nations dwelling along the Ister, subject to his empire, who were the victors over other nations, found only the Romans capable of resisting them. Constantine overcame these by the revelation of miracles and nocturnal dreams. And whatever peoples he overcame in war, he repaid the favor bestowed upon him by zeal for the propagation of religion, just as if he were contending for glory with Christ. For he urged all men to worship this faith alone, and in all the provinces he assigned a portion of the public taxes to the churches, and by law he decreed that this grant should be valid for all time and ages. And to accustom the soldiers to worship Christ with continuous memory, he adorned their arms with the symbol ^B of the cross. And since, as it has been said, he built a church in his imperial palace, he also caused another portable church to be made for himself, so that wherever he might be, and especially in war, it could be carried around, so that even when staying in the wilderness, where there was need to worship God and to participate in the divine mysteries, he would not lack a sacred building: to which, as to a tabernacle, priests and deacons were always present, performing the divine ministries without intermission according to the established ceremonies of the Church. The day which the Jews numbered first, and the Greeks dedicated only to the sun, he named the Lord’s Day, and ^C by law he decreed that it should be a festival and a holiday for all: likewise also the day which precedes the Sabbath, so that we might have leisure for prayers and might appease the Divine with supplications: the former, because Christ rose on it; the latter, because of the cross, from which he had experienced in various ways that the greatest amount of good had come to him. For this reason also he held it in such great veneration that he caused it to be engraved and inscribed on his coins and on all his images. His images, proposing this in that habit and form, testify to this. The punishment of the cross, which was most frequent and customary among the Romans ^D according to the law, he removed from his courts. And as he was zealous for increasing divine worship, so also he gained praise and glory by enacting laws. For he himself restrained the unchaste and illicit unions which no one before him had inhibited, as can be perceived from his extant constitutions and laws. And he removed the absurd law among the Romans—by which those who were unmarried, or those who were not close relations, were not allowed to share equally in inheritances, nor to gain from a will, and furthermore, he removed the law that penalized the childless by the loss of their property, ordering them to pay half—so that those who follow an unmarried life of asceticism according to God might not, on account of this, suffer harm, or rather, he even decreed that those who lived in continence and virginity should have more. He decreed that all such persons, even if they were young, might dispose of their property as they wished, contrary to the custom that had long prevailed among the Romans, who had enacted these laws long ago, attempting to make their city populous, having lost the masses through civil strife and wars before the law was passed. And that testimony of the Emperor’s reverence for the faith is sufficiently confirmed by the fact that he allowed all clergymen to be exempt by the enactment of a law. Regarding those...

who wished to decline the judgment of secular ^A judges, he committed this to the bishops. He also legislated that the decision emanating from them should carry the authority of all other matters, and that the determinations made in a synod were to be unalterable; and, furthermore, that the common rulers and the soldiers under their command were to carry out and execute what had been judged by them. He also granted freedom to the Church by law; and that those who were being freed, with the priests as witnesses, should be registered in the Roman citizenry. The passage of time to this day brings the proof of all these things, as custom, being good, constantly prevails and gains strength over time. And he, while zealously legislating such things, chose always to serve the Divine by his actions. Besides, religion itself was flourishing due to the virtue of those who were practicing it at that time. For in some way, many of the confessors were still surviving after the persecution had ceased. And ^B otherwise, good and apostolic men were appearing, adorning the faith by their deeds and words, of whom we shall speak in the appropriate place.

Chapter XLVII. How Constantine, having taken Byzantium by battle, put the Byzantines to the sword.

When matters of war and religion were proceeding well for him, and the regions of the East and West had come under his hand, and he had been proclaimed sole emperor of the Romans, Christianity increased day by day, and tranquil peace settled upon the Roman polities. The first of his sons, Crispus, died; but he himself, having appointed his own children as Caesars and having sent the eldest, Constantine, to Rome, marched against the Byzantines. For a certain Byzas the Greek, in the days of Manasseh, king of Judea, built a small city under his own name; which, being inhabited long ago by barbarian men who used their own laws and were rather rustic, utterly refused to submit to Roman rule. And so, after the war in Bithynia against Licinius, Constantine departing from Nicomedia brought war upon them. Since the Byzantines did not bow their neck ^D

nor wish to pay tribute, and above all, ^A because they kept shaking off the yoke of Roman servitude, the matter came to blows. A battle was joined, and first six thousand in the army of Constantine, and then in a second conflict another three thousand men, were slain. The Byzantines, elated by this success of fortune, began to plan how they might slaughter all the forces of the Romans. For at that time, there were few soldiers with the emperor, since nearly all of them, except for a small number, had been sent to guard the Roman dominion, on account of reports that had been brought concerning an expedition and incursion of the Persians. It was the evening of the day, and the emperor, weary and sad through lack of counsel, kept his eyes intently fixed upon the heavens. And there, once again—just as he had done when he was waging war against Maxentius at Rome—he saw a writing formed by the arrangement and distinction of stars, signifying this: "Call upon me in the day of thy tribulation, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." Struck with astonishment, he raised his eyes to the heavens a second time. And again, a cross appeared, fixed with stars in the sky, and an inscription running around it proclaimed these words: "In this very sign thou shalt conquer the enemy." ^B Straightway, the memory of the things that had happened before came flowing back. And at daybreak, having sounded the trumpet, he joined battle with the Byzantines, having commanded that the trophy of the cross should be carried at the head of the line. And he defeated the Byzantines with overwhelming force, and even forced his way into the wall itself and took the city. He set up the trophy and sign of that victory in the place where his porphyry column now extends to a great height in magnificent fashion.

CAPUT XLVIII. How he most magnificently constructed the city named after him, Constantinople.

^C Having thus attained to the greatest magnitude of imperial power, he resolved to found another city, equal in honor and magnitude to Rome, and to impose his own name upon it. There was then near the Hellespont, on the plain below Ilium, at the tomb of Ajax—where it is said the Achaeans who fought the war against the Trojans once had their naval station—a place where he was marking out the form of the city as it seemed best to him, and was inspecting the spots where he should construct the gates. While he was pondering this in his mind, God appeared to him by night and admonished him by an oracle that he ought to complete the work he had purposed at Byzantium, opposite Chalcedon. ^D Obeying the command, he went around and occupied the entire site, cleared away the forest, and showed the citizens his customary and fitting kindness and favor. Being delighted in the highest degree by the nature of the region, the tempored mildness of the climate, and the advantageous position of the place, he surrounded it with very great walls, and after his own name called it Constantinople; and he built a magnificent palace by the sea, adorned with diverse and all kinds of treasures from the whole of the East. He made Constantinople more beautiful in its situation, as it winds itself around as much as possible and surges out into the vast sea, and he greatly adorned it and provides tranquil harbors for sailors. For indeed two seas, the Aegean and the Euxine, flow together on the side where the city looks toward the East, and by the mutual collision of their waves, they bring a great measure of convenience and pleasantness to it from every side. (Procopius)

^A Beside this, he instituted a circus for equestrian events, and erected two porticoes of baked brick for the use of travelers, so that they might walk beneath them; he also ambitiously raised many other buildings around it in spirit and by hand. He added baths and fountains of copious and pellucid water. And when he saw that the local inhabitants were insufficient for the magnitude of such a city, he built very large houses throughout the streets here and there, and assigned them to be inhabited by men illustrious in speech, wealth, and fame, whom he had brought there either from old Rome or from other nations. He designated taxes both for the construction of the city by its citizens and for the feeding of its inhabitants, so that the city might abound and grow in all resources. He also built a spacious curia for the senate, and named the city itself a new Rome, an imperial one, differing in nothing from that other. And indeed, it grew greatly, both through the piety of its founder and his signal love toward God, and through the religion of the citizens themselves and their singular propensity toward kindness and compassion. So great is the persuasive power and attraction it possesses for faith in Christ, that it is almost sufficient to persuade all Jews and Gentiles to embrace the manner of life according to Christ. And indeed, having begun to practice piety, the city never experienced altars, sacrifices, or the worship of idols, ^B except under the impious Julian; yet that stain, having advanced but a little, was immediately extinguished and dissolved.

CHAP. XLIX.

Concerning the works, temples, structures, statues, and other buildings he erected within the city.

As Constantine was honoring the newly founded city with many other things, he specially adorned it with various kinds of images and statues. He removed these from the temples of the Gentiles—which he had leveled to the ground so as to induce in people a forgetfulness of their error—and transferred them here. To these he added brilliant stones, roofs, porticoes, columns, and whatever else was worthy of being viewed. Many other works, mimicking nature itself through art, he had sent there from elsewhere for the things being done in that place. Many cities also, having changed their religion and plundered the temples of the gods, ensured that their images were carried to Constantinople so as to gratify the emperor. In the forum, which even now is called the Forum of Constantine, he erected that great porphyry column brought from Rome, on which he placed his own statue made of bronze; this statue holds in its right hand a huge golden orb, ^C upon which he fixed the venerable cross, with this inscription: "To You, Christ God, I commend this city." With four solid and firm apses beautifully surrounding the base of the column, he placed beneath that very base the twelve baskets and the seven hampers, as well as the remnants of the seven loaves with which Christ fed the multitudes after he had sanctified them with a blessing. Furthermore, the axe of Noah, with which he built the ark, the emperor himself, with his own hands, marked with his seal and deposited there; and even now to my time, these remain in the city as an inviolable treasure. He also bridged the river Ister, which is called the Danube, ^D

^A with a stone bridge, and having crossed it, he subjugated the Scythian nation which dwelt beyond that river. At that time, that saving armor appeared to him again in the heavens ^B and promised him victory, just as it had before. But what need is there to recount the temples which he built everywhere in the world? First, indeed, with his own hands, as we have said, he mapped out the plan in Rome at the Lateran Palace, which palace he himself also magnificently constructed at great expense and consecrated to Christ. In the city of Nicomedia, in a famous place which had the name Brachia, he splendidly erected a temple to the twenty thousand holy martyrs. Likewise, also in the city of Antioch, an octagonal church. Indeed, he also built another temple in Drepanum, where he was also born, in honor of Lucian the martyr. He renamed the city of Drepanum, Helenopolis, honoring his mother. He also dedicated three very great temples at Constantinople to Christ the Savior: the Church of Holy Sophia, or Wisdom, of Holy Peace, and of Holy Power. Furthermore, he erected another for the most celebrated Apostles; these were later magnificently restored by the emperors who followed him. And for the divine martyrs Mocius, Acacius, Agathonicus, and Menas, he prepared splendid martyria.

CHAPTER L

Regarding the structures built by him in the strait; and the history of the place which is called Sosthenium.

But also in the strait, and in that place which is called Sosthenium, ^C he built two other celebrated temples to the Archangel Michael, in the magnificent decoration of which he omitted nothing that pertains to imperial splendor. Nor will it be troublesome for me to insert into this history the cause of these structures, and from where the place was given the name Sosthenium. For it has been handed down to memory that the Greek Argonauts, when they had arrived at that same place, began to plunder and pillage that region; and having been turned to flight by Amycus, who then held power there, they wandered and fled into a certain woody and very wild place, due to the density of the trees. While they were hiding there, a power from heaven came upon them, having the appearance of a man, possessing wings like those of an eagle on his shoulders, ^D and by an oracle announced victory against Amycus. They, following this, joined battle with him, won the victory, and slew him together with all his forces. And so that they might return thanks to the vision, they erected a shrine and a statue in that place, fashioned in the form that had appeared to them, and they gave the place the name Sosthenium, because they had received strength there.

^A The praiseworthy prince Constantine, when he had turned aside to that region for a necessary reason and seen it, explained the matter to his friends and attendants; and, admiring the region with astonishment, he remained there. Furthermore, while he was taking time to sleep, a vision stood by him, in the likeness of the statue, and said: "I am Michael, the commander-in-chief of the forces of the Lord Sabaoth, the protector of the Christian faith; he who also fought with you against the impious tyrants, being a faithful and sincere servant of Him." Rising from sleep, therefore, he adorned the place more handsomely, setting up an altar toward the east with imperial and generous hand, and made the sanctuary highly distinguished both to citizens and strangers. ^B The Archangel made it especially renowned by his own appearances. For no one, having been beset by some grave misfortune or inescapable danger, or by an unknown malady, or even by incurable disease, and having there prayed to God, has failed to find relief and help easily. And it is indeed credited for certain that the divine Archangel Michael is accustomed to appear there, and makes the place healthful; for which reason the place was called "Michaelium" by the ancients. But I shall also tell what I learned happened long ago to Probianus, who was a physician of those serving in the imperial ranks in that place. For he, having been seized by a severe malady of the feet from which he suffered, with their joints and connections distorted for a long time, having come there, was quickly freed from his affliction by a divine vision. But because he, being Greek, was attached to our customs, he said that the other things of religion seemed somewhat plausible; but he refused entirely to admit that the divine cross was the cause of salvation. To one thus holding a dangerous opinion, a vision stood by and showed a certain sign of the cross, which had been set up on the holy altar of that church; and it plainly declared that from the time Christ was crucified, nothing of the things that have occurred for the benefit of the human race, both generally and individually, has had any favorable outcome apart from the power of this venerable wood—neither among the angels, nor among the good and virtuous, and as many among men as are witnessed to be beloved of God. Persuaded, he was changed. ^C These things, then, are so; but this place lies to the right of one sailing from the Pontus to Constantinople, being about thirty stades distant from it by sea, and seventy if one journeys in a circle around the strait that lies in the middle. The shrine of the Archangel which is in the aforementioned passage has the same efficacy and grace. But the Argonauts, when they had arrived at the Euxine Sea, fleeing Eetes on account of the golden fleece, did not return to Greece by the same navigation they had used before; but having crossed the sea above Scythia, and traveling through the rivers of those parts, they arrived at the borders of the Italians. There, having spent the winter, they built a city called Hemon. And summer having come, with the aid of the local inhabitants, they dragged the Argo by land with certain machines, about four hundred stades, to the river which had the name Acylis; which joins the Eridanus. And the Eridanus, to that which is by the Italians ^D

flows into the sea which washes Italy. But enough of these matters.

^A Certainly, Constantine built very many other temples everywhere, and performed other works of true piety of every kind; having this as his greatest zeal, that the profession of the Christian religion should be propagated through all the lands which the sun illuminates. And it is evident that this succeeded according to his wishes. Truly, the long-desired peace for Christian affairs shone forth, with all scandals and impediments having been removed most swiftly. But it is now time that the end should be set to this seventh book of histories, which comprises twenty-six years: of which twenty were spent in empire by Diocletian and Maximian Herculius, and the remaining six by Galerius Maximinus, Maxentius, and Licinius, who exercised tyranny. During these years, even the great Constantine was ruling over Gaul and Rome, though not yet proclaimed Augustus. These six years some attribute to the tyrants under Diocletian; others, however, and indeed we ourselves, rather ascribe them to the divine Constantine. And with those years subtracted, the remaining years of his are twenty-six, during which, after the overthrow of the tyrants, he alone and as sole prince administered the empire sincerely and rightly. ^B And having left the West, he proceeded to the East, to what was the imperial palace at Nicomedia, and subsequently, with great zeal, he founded a city named after himself. At which time, from the foundation of the world, it was the five thousand eight hundred and fifteenth year, and from the birth of Christ the three hundred and tenth. ^C

[Note: [alt-version omitted] referring to the repetition of data in the Latin apparatus].